Sabres trade former first overall pick to Flyers

The Buffalo Sabres are sending veteran defenseman Erik Johnson to the Philadelphia Flyers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. 

Johnson had been a focal piece of trade rumors for a while, now moving to the fourth club of his career. Philadelphia will be sending a 2024 fourth-round pick the other way, per The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. The deal features no salary retention.

Johnson hit the open market for the first time in seven years this summer, signing a one-year, $3.2M deal with the Sabres. It marked his first move since February of 2011 when he was traded to Colorado alongside Jay McClement and the 11th overall pick in 2011 that turned into Duncan Siemens. 

In return, the St. Louis Blues received Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk, and the 32nd overall pick in 2011 that turned into Ty Rattie. Johnson quickly established himself as a focal piece of Colorado’s blue line, averaging over 24 minutes of ice time through his first 22 games with the Avalanche. 

He maintained that heavy usage across the next 13 seasons, averaging over 21 minutes of ice time as he totaled 717 games and 246 points in Colorado. His burly size and long reach made him a coveted asset, even if his scoring never rose above a career-high 39 points scored in the 2013-14 season.

Johnson will likely be leaned on as the replacement for top-pair defenseman Sean Walker, who the Flyers traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a conditional 2025 first-round pick, and center Ryan Johansen, who the Flyers are continuing to shop around. 

Walker spent nearly all season alongside Nick Seeler, whom the Flyers recently signed to a four-year contract extension. Johnson certainly won’t bring the scoring touch that Walker managed, scoring 22 points in 63 games, but he should maintain the burly presence in the neutral zone that earned Walker praise. 

This move also gives Philadelphia more room to utilize their young defensemen, including Ronnie Attard and Yegor Zamula.