The Colorado Avalanche have defenseman Jack Johnson signed a one-year contract worth $775,000. Johnson previously played for the Avalanche during the 2021-22 season and was part of their Stanley Cup-winning roster. He spent most of last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, as one of many players Colorado could not afford to re-sign last summer. A trade with Chicago brought him back to Denver for the final 25 games of the season.
Colorado Gets Jack Johnson Signed For Another Year
Johnson, a 36-year-old American, has been in the NHL since 2006-07 and played for six different teams. He played his 1000th career game wearing an Avalanche sweater during Colorado’s championship season. That season, he recorded one goal and eight assists in 74 regular-season games, then appeared in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He is on the verge of playing 100 games for the Avalanche.
Johnson’s deal is a slight pay cut for him; the contract he signed with Chicago last August paid him $950,000. However, he is also still receiving buyout payments from the Pittsburgh Penguins. This contract accounts for less than one percent of the Avalanche’s salary cap for the upcoming season.
Avalanche Trending Younger
As of 2 pm. Eastern on July 2, Johnson is one of only two players 35 or older on contract with Colorado. The other is Andrew Cogliano, who is six months younger than Johnson. Long-time Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson, 35, signed with the Buffalo Sabres on the first day of Free Agency. The Avalanche now has more players born after the year 2000 on the roster than players born before 1990. The average age of the signed defenders is 28. Last season’s average defenseman age was 29.4. Johnson’s 1100-plus games of NHL experience across both the Eastern and Western Conferences will help balance Colorado’s defensive line.
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