Erik Johnson signed a one year extension with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 1, staying on as a valuable veteran presence for the Flyers' squad, a group that gets younger and younger by the day.
Erik Johnson signed a one year extension with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 1, staying on as a valuable veteran presence for the Flyers' squad, a group that gets younger and younger by the day.
Erik Johnson signed a one year extension with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 1, staying on as a valuable veteran presence for the Flyers' squad, a group that gets younger and younger by the day.
Speaking in a virtual press conference on Thursday, Johnson gave some more insight to what his role on the team would be this upcoming season, clarifying that his primary focus is being a mentor figure to the younger players.
“I talked with Torts at the end of the season, I talked with Danny, and they said this would probably be the role you're slotted in for," Johnson said. "Honestly, I told them I would be open to any role. I'm here to help these guys on and off the ice. Whether it's 20, 30, 40, 50 games, whatever it is, I'm here for them and I'm here for the Flyers. Whatever they're gonna ask of me, I'm gonna do."
He gave a glimpse into his mindset for this new role, offering an optimistic spin on entering a position of limited ice time.
"You can wake up every day and control your attitude and your effort no matter what, and that's what I'm gonna do," he stated. "Win or lose, I'm gonna bring that same passion and enthusiasm to the rink. My days of 25-26 minutes a night are behind me and I'm okay with it, I'm comfortable with it."
Johnson will be entering his 18th year playing in the NHL, and while many players would have hung up the skates already, he never considered leaving hockey behind.
"I never considered [retirement] just because I love the game and I love being around the rink and I'm gonna try and play as long as I can," he insisted. "I love the game of hockey, I love coming to the rink, I love the camaraderie."
He's excited for the opportunity to take on more of a leadership role within the defense, wanting to help set an example on and off the ice.
"Being that seventh [defenseman], I'm totally comfortable with," he said. "I'm here to support Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, [Travis] Sanheim, [Rasmus Ristolainen], [Nick Seeler], [Egor] Zamula, all those guys. I'm here for them no matter what they need."
That support goes beyond just the Flyers' blueline, with Johnson saying that he wants to be a player and person that any of the younger guys can look up to when they need guidance on how to conduct themselves professional as players and as people.
"There's so much that goes into being a pro not only on the ice, but off the ice, and I'm here to show [the young guys] what it takes," he described. "A lot of these guys have it figured out. They're good guys with good heads on their shoulders, but anything I can add I'm here to do it."
He draws on his own experience as a young guy who was just trying to figure out how to navigate being a professional, now wanting to be an effective middleman for the locker room and the coaching staff.
"As a young player, I remember being pretty intimidated by the coach and, you know, you see him walking down the hallway and you dip in a door or something like that," he recalled. "It's changed a little bit now with the league being a little more player-friendly. Obviously Torts is known for being a super demanding coach...but as a veteran guy, I can kind of see which way the wind is blowing and relay that to the coaches if need be.
"I think Torts has a great pulse on the room and he relies on his key leaders that we already have in the locker room, so I'm comfortable approaching the coaching staff and talking to them about different things; I think they're comfortable talking to me about different things and I think that just comes with being an older guy—I've been around and seen a lot of things. Being a younger guy, and as a younger guy, you might be a little bit more nervous around the coaches, and that just might take time. I'm comfortable doing that and will continue to do so."
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