Erik Johnson has been hanging around the Colorado Avalanche practice facility a lot lately. The aging defenseman appears to be training for another season in the NHL, but for whom? As of late August, Johnson remains unsigned by any team. So what is his fate?
Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Johnson (unsigned), Brock Nelson, Chase Bradley, Nikita Prishchepov, Milan and Marek Hejduk are all on the ice this morning for the Avs. #Avs #GoAvsGo @HockeyMtnHighCO pic.twitter.com/CnISyIhxW6
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) August 20, 2025
How Johnson got to Colorado
Johnson began his career with the St. Louis Blues after the team drafted him first overall out of the University of Minnesota. He played part of four seasons with the Blues, who then traded him to the Avalanche for Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart, plus a second-round pick in 2011. This led to 13 straight seasons with the Colorado Avalanche while he played in 717 regular season contests. The Minnesota native would help the Avalanche in winning the Stanley Cup in 2022 alongside his best friend and captain Gabriel Landeskog. Free agency in the summer of 2023 sent Johnson to Buffalo, and a trade in March 2024 sent him to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Avalanche pulled off a deadline trade in March to bring Johnson for one last run in Denver.
Cleaning out my phone, there are a lot of first this season…too many to count. But this…this is a moment I will never forget from Media Day. I got to ask my first question as a journalist to Gabriel Landeskog and Erik Johnson about the cup. #GoAvsGo #Avs #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/VymZuJhYty
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) January 25, 2023
Johnson’s fate
Unfortunately, the first round against the Dallas Stars may have been the last time that Johnson will have played in an Avalanche sweater. Colorado has a good problem right now; they have too many defensemen. And they have just the right number of right-handed defensemen. Currently, the Avalanche has four right-handed defensemen who could be on the NHL roster. Brent Burns was the latest addition and, after having not missed a game in the last five seasons, may have spelled the end for Johnson.
jets @ avalanche 04/04/2019
Erik Johnson (7th of season)
(77th of career)#GoavsGo pic.twitter.com/XQpOlonjD3
— x – random avs goal every day (@avsgoaleveryday) April 12, 2024
The roster for the Avalanche already has 23 of 23 active contracts. This probably means that Colorado will not offer a professional tryout to anyone, not even Johnson. As I had discussed on the Mile High Hockey Labs podcast on Thursday, anything less than a contract offer for Johnson would be an insult.
What a beautiful moment between Avalanche fans and Erik Johnson#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/5tblOTpN94
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 14, 2023
The fan favorite has been a leader on and off the ice for the Avalanche. This is a huge reason that fans will hate to see the end of the Johnson era in Colorado. One thing is for sure though; he has a permanent stall in the Avalanche locker room until the start of training camp. He may land a small one-year deal somewhere else. But there is no room for it in Colorado. We can bet that he will be the next number to go to the rafters alongside other Avalanche greats once he calls it a career.
