Red Wings sign Albert Johansson to two-year extension

The Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman Albert Johansson to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $1.125 million.

The 24-year-old is coming off his first NHL season, where he registered three goals, nine points and 30 penalty minutes in 61 games. Prior to that, he spent the past two years in the AHL, registering 36 points with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Johansson often found himself playing alongside Ben Chiarot, learning the ropes from the veteran defender. Johansson received 10 votes for the second all-rookie team this past season, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

Drafted 60th overall by the Red Wings in 2019, Johansson is known for being a good skater who can shoot the puck hard. He spent his prime development years with Farjestad back in Sweden, which saw him registering a career-best 25 points in 2021-22. The defender also represented Sweden in various international events, with the highlight being his gold medal at the 2019 U-18 World Championship. Johansson won the SHL title in 2022 prior to leaving for North America.

According to PuckPedia, the Red Wings have just over $22 million in cap space. Jeff Petry is the team’s lone UFA defenseman, with the club already having seven signed to deals for 2025-26. Down in the AHL, Eemil Viro (RFA) and Brogan Rafferty (UFA) are the lone UFA defenders.

Other pending free agents in the system include forwards Patrick Kane, Craig Smith, Tyler Motte, Timothy Gettinger and Joe Snively, as well as goaltenders Alex Lyon and Jack Campbell. RFAs include Jonatan Berggren, Elmer Soderblom, Cross Hanas and Gage Alexander.