The Colorado Avalanche announced on Tuesday they agreed to a long-term deal with defenseman Erik Johnson. The contract is for seven years and will pay him $42 million. It will keep him in an Avalanche sweater until the 2022-23 season. What are the Avalanche getting in Erik Johnson?
Erik Johnson is in his ninth NHL season. He was drafted number one overall by the St. Louis Blues. 2007-2008 was his first NHL season. He appeared in 69 games scoring 5 goals, 28 assists for 33 points. Johnson was in St. Louis until the middle of the 2011 season.
On February 19th, 2011 the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche made a blockbuster trade. The Blues sent Erik Johnson, Jay McClement, and a first-round pick to Colorado. Colorado gave St. Louis winger Chris Stewart, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, and a second-round draft pick.
Johnson has improved his game every year since he has been with the Avalanche. The 2013-2014 season, he had a career high 30 assists and tallied 39 points. He helped Colorado capture the Central Division Championship. The Avalanche would lose to the Minnesota Wild in the first-round of the NHL playoffs in a seven game series. Last year was an even better year for him offensively. He scored 12 goals, which is the most he ever had in one NHL season. In his career, he has 48 goals and 145 assists, for a total of 193 points.
Johnson was set to play in the final year of his deal this year. That was going to pay him $4.25 million. He could have been a free agent at the end of the season and would have been able to sign with any team. According to the Denverpost.com, Johnson said, “It’s my desire to stay here, but it has to work for both sides and I’m all for working with the team and trying to fit into the structure. I’m not out to get something over my value on the market. I’m going to work with them and I hope they work with me and we can get something done.”
Yahoo Sports stated that General Manager Joe Sakic said, “We felt it was important for our franchise to secure his rights for the long term as he enters the prime years of his career.”
This is a move that the Colorado Avalanche needed to make. Erik Johnson is a scoring defenseman that any team would yearn for. He is also a key player on the power play because he scores goals from the point and sets up his teammates. The Colorado Avalanche didn’t want to risk losing him because he is a franchise defenseman. These type of athletes don’t come around too often and Colorado has a number one defenseman for years to come.
What do you think of Colorado signing Erik Johnson to a big contract?
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