Defense prospect Albert Johansson is sticking in Motown as the Red Wings announced a one-year, two-way contract extension for the left-shot blue liner. PuckPedia reports that the deal pays $775K in the NHL, $90K in the minors, and has a guarantee of $110K.
While yet to make his NHL debut, the 2019 second-round pick is a strong candidate to make the opening night roster next season. That’s because he’s no longer waiver-exempt, and Detroit stands a high risk of losing him for nothing if they expose him to the rest of the league during preseason to send him back to AHL Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids is where the Swedish defender has spent the entirety of the last two seasons. There, the promising two-way defender has put up solid numbers, totaling 11 goals, 25 assists, 36 points, 84 PIMs, and an even rating in 119 games. It wasn’t his first taste of professional hockey, though. Johansson played the majority of the preceding three seasons in the Swedish Hockey League with Färjestad BK, where he fared well against primarily older competition with 57 points and a +10 rating in 141 games. He won a league title with Färjestad in 2022 before coming over to the Wings.
While likely not a first-unit power-play quarterback at the NHL level, Johansson is extremely cerebral with the puck and has the skating ability and hands to match. He’s solid at puck retrievals and keeping play out of his own end, remaining projectable as a second or third-pair NHL defenseman with solid possession numbers and some special teams upside.
The native of Karlstad, Sweden, was slated for RFA status this summer, although he wasn’t eligible for salary arbitration. That will change next year after one more season of professional experience.