Johnson’s goal: Bring Cup back to Denver
Erik Johnson has four largebreed dogs, 10 race horses, a longtime girlfriend and a relatively large house in Cherry Hills. The Avalanche defenseman, however, isn’t your typical family man. He doesn’t want to get married, or have children, until after he retires from the NHL.
That could be awhile.
Johnson is under contract through the 202223 season, when he’ll be 35.
“Waiting for all that until I’m done playing,” Johnson said. “The focus is just on the Avalanche and winning the Stanley Cup in Denver.” Also a focus? His health. Johnson, 30, is the Avalanche’s best defenseman on the team’s best blueline corps in more than 10 years and is trying to avoid an injury that prematurely shuts down his season. Colorado’s most veteran player has missed 100 regularseason games over the last four years, plus all six playoff games against Nashville in April.
It was a fractured kneecap late last season, a broken fibula the year before, ankle and other ailments in 201516 and knee surgery the year before that. He’s also dislocated his shoulder.
So he could be forgiven for wondering if he can stay healthy for a full season and help the Avs reach their Stanley Cup goals. It’s like a car crash, the Avs alternate captain said. The more you drive, the higher chances you have of getting in a wreck. Johnson led the NHL in
shifts pergame last season (30.7), and was seventh in average ice time (25:26).
“I’m an aggressive, fastclosing, inyourface defenseman playing against the opponent’s top line,” Johnson, 6foot4 and 225 pounds, said. “Do I sacrifice a bit of the physical side? Do I try not to block many shots? No, I’m not going to do that. That’s how I play. That’s how I help the team win. Injuries happen. It’s hockey. It’s the nature of the beast.”
The beast dishes out bad luck, and Johnson suggests that his serious injuries stem from that more than his relentless style. It certainly isn’t from a lack of taking care of himself.
“There’s no formula or potion,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s anything you can do to prevent breaking a leg from a 100 mph slap shot or fall in the boards at 30 mph and breaking your kneecap or getting your shoulder dislocated when you’re standing still. If there’s a softtissue thing or something you can prevent like a groin or hipflexor, you’d be doing stuff to make sure it doesn’t happen again. But these things are just freak things, just bad luck. Maybe I should sage my (locker) stall….It comes with the territory.”
With the freeagent addition of Ian Cole and the growth of secondyear pro Sam Girard, the Avs are deeper on the blue line this season than a year ago, and Johnson isn’t on a powerplay unit. Even if healthy, he might not play as much this season — though he hopes he reaches 80 games for just the second time in his 10year career.
Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic knows the frustration of what injuries can do. Sakic was the Avs’ highestpaid player but, because of injuries, played just 44 and 15 games in the final two seasons of his Hall of Fame career. Johnson is the Avs’ highestpaid defenseman at $6 million.
“His goal and our goal is to keep him healthy this year, but we do like the depth on the back end,” Sakic said. “Ice time will be spread out probably a little more evenly now. We got a lot of good things going on with the back end. He won’t have as much pressure on him. But for sure, we’re hoping he can stay healthy the entire year.”
Johnson cracked his kneecap from sliding into the end boards in Game 77 last season, forcing him to miss the final five regularseason games and the playoffs. He wasn’t the only dingedup Av at season’s end. Girard, who then was a 19yearold rookie, missed three games in the series versus the Predators with injury, and defensemen Nikita Zadorov and Patrik Nemeth were playing with shoulder injuries that required offseason surgeries.
To begin this season, Girard and Johnson make up the top pairing, followed by Zadorov and Ty son Barrie, and Nemeth and Cole. Mark Barberio, who at times last season played toppairing minutes, will be a healthy scratch in Thursday’s opener.
With that corps, Johnson is bound to log fewer minutes, giving him a better chance to stay healthy.
Avs coach Jared Bednar suggested the blueline depth is an opportunity to balance Johnson’s health. However Bednar chooses to play him, there’s no stopping Johnson from being a punisher on the ice.
That’s the plan. At least for the next five years. His minutes will likely continue to decrease, but so long as the Minnesota transplant is still wearing burgundy and blue, he won’t complain.
After? That plan was set long ago. Johnson hopes to always have a home in Colorado, but would like more room for the dogs. A farm where he can train his horses sounds nice. A place he can relax and retire with his future wife, and kids.
“I’ll take any role for the team to be successful. If you put team success first you’re going to see individual success come from that,” said Johnson. “Wherever they slot me, I’m going to go out and do my best and help the team win and bust my tail for this organization. It’s home for me now here in Denver and this is the only place I want to be.”