The Colorado Avalanche are going to keep one of their midseason acquisitions, re-signing Jonas Johansson to a one-year contract. The depth goaltender was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in March and was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer. Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports that the two-way deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K.
Johansson, 25, has played just 21 games in the NHL to this point in his career, despite being a relatively high draft pick in 2014. Selected 61st overall, he slowly worked his way up through the Sabres minor league system, making his NHL debut in 2019-20. Unfortunately, that debut didn’t go very well, with Johansson posting an .894 save percentage in six appearances. He struggled again at the start of 2020-21 when the Sabres were desperate for competent goaltending, leading to the trade with the Avalanche.
Amazingly, things seemed to immediately turned around when put behind a more capable lineup. In Colorado, Johansson posted a .913 save percentage in eight appearances, even recording his first NHL shutout. His 5-1-1 record for the Avalanche showed he could at least be a depth option, if not a full-time backup at the NHL level next season.
At the league minimum, that can be quite a valuable asset for the Avalanche, though Johansson will have to clear waivers to report to the minor leagues. That could mean he is a target of many teams in training camp, should they go through any goaltending injuries early on.