The longest-tenured skater has likely played his last game with the Avalanche. Erik Johnson, who Colorado acquired in February of 2011, is not expected to sign a new deal and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
The 35-year-old defenseman is coming off a seven-year, $42 million deal that ended this past season. Johnson helped the Avs win the Stanley Cup in year six of the deal, where he played 77 games, scoring eight goals and producing 25 points. He also skated in all 20 Stanley Cup playoff games.
“Whether it’s the end of the road or not, I was just proud to play here for as long as I did,” Johnson said following the Avs’ Game 7 loss to Seattle in April. “I’m just grateful for everything.”
Johnson has spent 13 seasons with Colorado following a blockbuster deal that sent Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart to St. Louis. Once the team’s No. 1 defenseman, Johnson has seen his role reduced with the acquisitions of Samuel Girard, Devon Toews and Josh Manson and the emergence of top draft picks Cale Makar and Bowen Byram. Johnson’s Avalanche career will end with 717 regular-season games, which ranks second among defensemen behind Adam Foote (760). He also is tied for third in goals (68), fourth in points (246) and third in game-winning goals (12).
Since joining the Avs, only Gabriel Landeskog (738) has played more games in an Avalanche sweater than Johnson.
