Adam Vingan

avingan@tennessean.com

CHICAGO — The pursuit had lasted "forever."

That's how Predators general manager David Poile once described the team's hunt for a true No. 1 center, a position that hadn't been adequately filled throughout franchise history.

On Jan. 6, 2016, that search ended when the Predators traded defenseman Seth Jones to the Columbus Blue Jackets for center Ryan Johansen. One year into his Predators career, Johansen is pleased with his progress.

“If I can take my career and keep going in the right direction with it, being looked at as a top-line center here in Nashville, there’s not much more you can ask for," Johansen said.

With the Blue Jackets face-planting last season with eight consecutive season-opening losses, teams began sniffing around Johansen, who scored a career-high 71 points during the previous season. Columbus wanted to improve its defense, and Nashville had the depth to hand over Jones.

“There’s very few No. 1 centers that are ever available," Poile said. "Honestly, I can’t think of too many that were either fits or even available, so this is kind of a special situation when this comes about."

Johansen's time in Columbus seemed destined to end because of concerns about his attitude and health, which the Predators researched before executing the trade.

He and the Blue Jackets engaged in a lengthy contract standoff in 2014. In John Tortorella's first game as Blue Jackets coach in October 2015, he benched Johansen, calling him out for not being in shape and later scratching him.

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“I was going through some adversity for sure," Johansen said. "I was at a point where I just wasn’t able to get the production I had in recent years, or the previous year anyway.

"I was going through stuff in Columbus where I had to figure out with my body and went through a transition there where I had to figure some stuff out. For me, that year is just a wash. I don’t even really think about it. I wasn’t myself and I wasn’t playing to my ability."

There have been no such apparent issues in Nashville. During the offseason, the Predators tasked Johansen with improving his conditioning to better handle the variety of assignments that top centers are typically responsible for.

He arrived to training camp noticeably bigger, and Predators coach Peter Laviolette has been impressed with how Johansen's two-way game has developed, learning to be as responsible defensively as he is impactful offensively.

"When he plays his A-game, we win almost all those games," Poile said. "When he doesn't, we struggle, and I'm saying that in a complimentary way."

The trade has been mutually beneficial. Jones has become a top-pairing defenseman for the league-leading Blue Jackets, who had their 16-game winning streak, the second-longest in NHL history, broken Thursday.

Johansen is the Predators' leading scorer this season with 29 points, including 18 in his past 20 games, and overall since he joined the team last year with 63 points in 81 games.

Predators management still sees a higher ceiling for the 24-year-old in terms of production and leadership. How Johansen responds should determine how long the team commits to him after this season, when he becomes a restricted free agent.

"It’s just great that the Predators believe in me and (brought) me here and (gave) me a chance to lead this team in the center role," Johansen said. "First year’s been pretty amazing.”

Neal on injured reserve: The Predators placed forward James Neal on injured reserve, which will prevent him from playing in at least the team's next two games — Sunday at the Blackhawks and Tuesday against the Canucks. Neal has missed the past two games because of an upper-body injury.

Reach Adam Vingan on Twitter @AdamVingan.

JOHANSEN'S FIRST YEAR WITH PREDATORS

Games: 81 (T-1st on Predators)

Goals: 15 (T-5th)

Assists: 48 (1st)

Points: 63 (T-1st)

NEXT GAME

PREDATORS at BLACKHAWKS

When: 6 p.m. Sunday

TV/radio: Fox TN/102.5-FM