Having only been able to suit up for 13 games over the course of the last 18 months, it was a welcome sight to see Erik Johnson on the ice (and healthy) when the Avs opened training camp on Thursday. The person most excited for it, obviously, was Johnson himself.
“I’m just excited to get back out there and be with the guys,” Johnson said after day two of training camp.
The 33-year-old defenseman, currently the longest-tenured player in the organization, was limited to only four games in the 2020-21 season. On Friday, he confirmed the long absence was due to a concussion he suffered on January 30, 2021 against the Minnesota Wild.
“It was a concussion, not from the hit, more so from the fall,” he explained. “Just took me a while to get back to normal. It was frustrating, more frustrating for me because I’m the one going through it. It was a long, annoying process to go through but now I feel good.”
With cap constraints and expansion draft dilemma forcing them to trade Ryan Graves over the summer, and Devon Toews looking to miss the start of the regular season while rehabilitating offseason shoulder surgery, the return of Johnson becomes even more important.
He’s spent the first two days of camp paired with youngster Bowen Byram, and if all continues to go well, that duo could open the season as the Avs second pairing.
“Bo’s great. Sky is the limit for him,” the former 1st overall pick said. “He kind of went through his own injury trouble last year. He skates just like Niedermayer did when I played against Scott a few years ago before he retired. He’s only going to get better and better, and if I can help expedite that process by playing with him I’ll be happy to do so.”
Once the workhorse on the Avs blue line, the Avs no longer are forced to depend on only Erik Johnson for big minutes. That doesn’t mean the big man can’t play an important role on the team, as head coach Jared Bednar still sees him as someone that can help take some pressure off the likes of Cale Makar and Sam Girard in terms of minutes.
“We had a good idea going into last year of where we felt he was the most productive,” the coach said. “I think we gotta watch him play. It’s a long time off now. I still think he’s a guy that can play in our top four.”
Missing him on the ice is one thing, but off the ice is another. For years, Johnson has worn the “A” as one of the leaders in the locker room. Bednar mentioned he still has not decided on what he’ll do with the letters this year, but Johnson will be a welcome addition back into the locker room for several reasons, perhaps none more than his ability to keep things light.
“He’s huge. That was a big loss last year,” Logan O’Connor said on Thursday. “He’s a calming presence, but at the same time, sort of the team clown.”
Team clown? What?
“I can’t give you everything,” EJ joked to reporters after practice. “I just like to have fun. We play a high tempo, stressful, emotional sport, and if you just look at the big picture, you have to keep things in perspective and realize how lucky we are, and you gotta have time to have some fun. I’m old on our team but not old in life, so I still act a little bit like a goofball with some of the young guys.”
The Avs need that goofball to stay healthy this season. They’ll be better off for it.
