Former 2006 St. Louis Blues first overall pick Erik Johnson has retired from professional hockey after 17 seasons in the NHL. Johnson was selected as the defenseman who was supposed to turn the Blues' blueline around, and although he went on to have an impressive NHL career, he never quite lived up to the billing of a first overall pick. He spent just two and a half seasons with the Blues, notching a career-high of 39 points in his sophomore season, a total that was matched once afterwards. In 203 games with the Blues, Johnson scored 20 goals and 91 points. His Blues tenure didn't last as long as some thought it would. In the 2010-11 season, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado] alongside Jay McClement and draft picks for Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Stewart and draft picks. Johnson went on to play 731 of his 1023 NHL games with the Avalanche, winning a Stanley Cup in 2021-22. Shattenkirk played 425 games with the Blues, scoring 59 goals and 258 points, but was dealt before the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2018-19. Including the Blues and Avalanche, the 37-year-old Johnson had brief stints with the Buffalo Sabres [http://thn.com/buffalo] and Philadelphia Flyers [http://thn.com/philadelphia] late in his career. Internationally [http://thn.com/international], the 6-foot-4, 225-pound defender won two gold medals at the U-18s, bronze at the World Junior Championship and the World Championship, and won a silver medal at the 2010 Olympics with Team USA.
