BUFFALO — Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson form one of the best trios of young defensemen in the NHL, but last season the Buffalo Sabres didn’t have an older player at the position to help mentor them.
Enter Erik Johnson.
The 35-year-old defenseman, who is among the Colorado Avalanche franchise leaders in games played, will face his former teammates for the time Sunday since signing with the Sabres this offseason.
“It will be weird, but playing against friends is always kind of weird,” Avs star Nathan MacKinnon said. “It was obviously 10 years with him, so a lot of good memories. He’s awesome to have around the room, just a great guy. He was one of two teammates, him and Gabe (Landeskog), that I had always played with since I was 18. Obviously it’s different not having him here.”
MacKinnon, in a fun twist of fate, will play his 717th game in an Avalanche uniform. That will tie him for seventh in club history with … Johnson, who spent 13 years with the franchise.
Johnson arrived in Colorado as a young defenseman in a massive trade with St. Louis. He became an integral member of the team through multiple coaches and iterations of the franchise, culminating with a Stanley Cup triumph in 2022.
When Landeskog completed his lap with the Cup after retrieving it from NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, he handed it off to Johnson, not one of the young stars or his alternate captains. It was a show of respect for the long journey back from the depths of the NHL standings.
“He meant a lot to this team, had been here a long time. It will be good to see him,” Avs defenseman Cale Makar said. “He was very light hearted. He just kind of knew how everything worked in the league. If I needed to lean on anybody early on, he was definitely one of those guys that I could.”
Given the Avs’ salary cap situation this past offseason, it wasn’t a surprise when Johnson found employment elsewhere. He signed a one-year deal with the Sabres, a team loaded with young talent and ready to try and make that same climb the Avs accomplished.
It sure sounds like he’s found a familiar role in Buffalo.
“He doesn’t speak up a ton, but when he does everyone listens,” Samuelsson said. “I think it is very valuable information. I think just bringing that experience with all the ups and downs of his career, that’s a lot of knowledge and I’m just trying to learn from him.
“We’re still really young. He’s not crazy. It’s not like he’s trying to coach us or anything, but just like little details here and there. For me, he’s helped a lot on the PK with just stick position, little details you can tweak. When things aren’t going well for the D-corps, he kind of calms us down. It’s nice to have the veteran presence, almost like a big brother to kind of lean on.”
MacKinnon just played against Sidney Crosby, his hometown hero-turned-friend. Every time those two line up across from each other, it’s a big deal in NHL circles.
This friendly encounter won’t create the same type of headlines, but it’s still going to be meaningful for everyone involved.
“I think going back to Denver will be harder, but a cool experience,” Johnson said. “This is one of those things you go through. I don’t think it will be too big of a deal at all. I’m looking forward to seeing all of those guys again. Played with them a long time, won a Stanley Cup. It was a fun experience, and I’ll always be excited to see those guys.”
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