Avalanche Cup champion drops bombshell about his NHL future
Photo credit: David Zalubowski / Sportsnet
The Colorado Avalanche recently held their annual alumni game, where former star defenseman Erik Johnson attended and revealed that, despite being a free agent entering this season, he isn't ready to retire from the NHL.
Johnson, 37, still believes he has enough gas in the tank to be effective on an NHL roster.
Erik Johnson isn't ready to hang up the skates just yet.
Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reported on the alumni game and specifically the comments made by Johnson.
"He was in the booth for Altitude TV, offering his time to the franchise he loves, despite being an unrestricted free agent without a contract. Even though training camp begins in less than a month, the 37-year-old defenseman is not ready to call it quits. He wants to continue playing, and he made that clear at the conclusion of the Altitude broadcast." -Deen
Unfortunately, for Johnson, that reality doesn't seem realistic if he wanted to rejoin the Avalanche. Even though we have discussed in abundance the lack of depth the team has, the right side of the blue line is one area with ample depth.
"Colorado is one of the few teams with ample depth on the right side. They have Cale Makar and Josh Manson manning the top two pairs, which means one of Malinski or Burns is probably going to play on the left side. And with Keaton Middleton as an extra option, it would mean the Avs would have to carry eight defensemen if Johnson returns." -Deen
Erik Johnson can still look for PTO opportunities, but without a trade, it most likely won't be offered by Colorado.
Could we potentially see him go to another division rival? We'll have to wait and see how the rest of the offseason progresses.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 26 | 26 ANSWERS Avalanche Cup champion drops bombshell about his NHL future Will Erik Johnson be offered a PTO before the upcoming NHL season? | ||
| yes | 15 | 57.7 % |
| no | 11 | 42.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
