Dove Valley, Colo. - The name 'Erik Johnson' was one of the biggest names to come out of last year's trade deadline. He might not have been the top-rated player on the trade wire, but the feel-good story that followed him back to Denver is one people will remember for ages.
BREAKING TRADE NEWS: The Avalanche Bring Back Stanley Cup Winning Defenseman Erik Johnson
The Colorado Avalanche, in what seems to be their final trade of the season, have acquired defenseman Erik Johnson from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward prospect Givani Smith.
Erik Johnson, who was signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Sabres in 2023, then traded to the Philadelphia Flyers later that season, made an impact both on and off the ice during his time with the Colorado Avalanche. With a cup to his name, an achievement he named as the "pinnacle of my career," and a stellar relationship with every member of the team and organization, both on and off the ice, Johnson leaves behind a legacy and very large shoes to fill in Denver.
"This moment is bittersweet, but I'm at peace knowing I gave everything I had to this game and this incredible organization."
During the presser, he went on with a seemingly endless list of names to thank, from the owners, to the front office and coaching staff, to equipment staff and the medical team, to all of the teammates, or 'brothers,' he's had over the years.
Following all of the thanks he gave to the community, including the media, he was first asked about how he made his decision. With the right opportunity, this moment might've come at a later date, but this is how the cookie crumbled.
If the right opportunity popped up, I would have loved to have kept playing. It didn't work like that, that's fine. I stayed ready and skated up until the end to see if anything popped up, but honestly, I'm super happy with my decision. I feel really good about it. I'm happy, and I would have loved for it to work out, but I'm pretty grateful for everything that I've accomplished and been able to do.- Erik Johnson on his decision to retire
A few players in the locker room were asked about their reactions to the news and the presser, and Johnson had nothing but glowing reviews from his teammates. Samuel Girard, who was traded to Colorado from Nashville early in the 2017-18 season, says Johnson was the first one to text him when the trade broke.
"It was special to play with him. He was kind of like a big brother to me, to be honest. It's been great to be his teammate. He had a great career. I'm so proud of him. He's just a great person as well. Great to be around. Definitely gonna miss him. I just want to wish him good luck in his retirement. He had a great career."- Samuel Girard on Erik Johnson's retirement
Similarly, captain Gabriel Landeskog, whose kids call Johnson 'Uncle EJ,' talked for almost two minutes straight with wonderful things to say about his friend and former teammate.
"I'm so happy for him It seems like he's in a good spot, and I can't imagine the last month-plus has been easy for him in making that decision, but having talked to him for a little bit, it seems like once he made decision, he was kind of at peace with it and really relieved and excited for what's next. He's going to be successful in whatever he decides to do. He's got so many hobbies. This guy, you've never met somebody with so many hobbies and passions that he does, so he's going to be just fine. As a player, I mean, I think he spoke to it in the press conference, and I got to see it first-hand. Him coming in as a young guy, first overall pick, like he said, a power play guy, ran into some injury troubles and had to adapt to stick around, had to adapt to be effective in the league. So, he embraced whatever role he was given. He didn't think twice about giving up the letter on his jersey when that time came. He's just happy to be a part of the team, happy to do what he could to help us out to win. And obviously, we talked a little bit about game six in St. Louis in [the retirement press conference], and I remember being on the ice, and I remember wondering why he even took the puck and started skating, and I'm like, 'Let's just get to overtime. Let's figure it out in there.' All of a sudden, we're in the offensive zone, and we won the game with whatever seconds left. So, I think that's a very impactful play by him. The kind of person he is, I think, in this locker room, I don't think you can overstate it. I mean, just how fun he made every day at the rink, and he truly is a 37-year-old child, and I don't think he's changed much. When I was first drafted in 2011, he truly was a big brother to me, and everything was new for me, but it didn't take more than two or three years, then it feels like the roles reversed, and I was his big brother, looking after him again. So many good times, and I'm happy for him, happy to see he's in a good spot.-
Erik Johnson was acquired in a trade with St. Louis back in 2011, a trade that Johnson acknowledged in his opening statement as being considered 'the worst trade in Avs history' by Colorado Director of Team Services and Immigration Erin DeGraffe.
From then on, he's seen both sides of this Avalanche team, from the 2016-17 team finishing at the bottom of the standings with 48 points, to the 2021-22 season that saw the Avalanche finish with 119 points and get to the top of the proverbial mountain to win the team's third Stanley Cup in Colorado.
When asked about being able to finish his career here after being traded back at last year's trade deadline, he said he was thrilled.
Coming back, just the highlights I can think about in my career, that was one of them, being traded back here at the deadline. That was a surreal moment, just to be able to come back and have another crack at it with these guys. It was a really special moment...to end as a Av was special.- Erik Johnson on getting traded back to Colorado and ending his career here.
The players are not the only ones affected by Erik Johnson's career. General Manager Chris MacFarland has some positive words to share following today's practice, speaking about his impact within the organization.
EJ was here before I got here, and I've had the pleasure of watching him play, but also getting to know him as a person. He's a super positive guy. He's always had that team-first mentality. He always has a smile on his face, and we had some rough years early on, and EJ, his demeanor, his attitude, his approach never changed. So, to see the growth from going through that and then the ascension of the team, he was certainly a big part of that as a key [player]...He was a very good player on very good teams, as our team started winning after that rough year. He means the world to us, means the world to me, and I know he'll be good at whatever he does.- GM Chris MacFarland on Erik Johnson's impact
Fear not, though, as it doesn't sound like Johnson will be going very far.
When asked what's next, the Avalanche defenseman said that aside from an opportunity he couldn't talk about that 'might be popping up,' he wants to try a few different things to see what he likes.
All in all, Erik Johnson has cemented his legacy here in Colorado and in the NHL, setting the bar for professionalism and personality as a teammate and person. As he said during his opening statement: "Every day you wake up, you can control your attitude and your effort, no matter what. It takes zero talent to be a good teammate and a good person."
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