Erik Johnson made an immediate impact on Sabers teammates

Dahlin didn’t feel like he had to ask any questions when Johnson urged him to buy a home sauna to help him recover from practices and games throughout the Buffalo Sabres’ season. Dahlin immediately bought one. Anyone who can enjoy the same longevity and team success as Johnson, who, at age 35, is entering his 17th NHL season and is on the verge of the 1,000-game mark is less than two year after winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche.

“Whatever he said,” Dahlin told reporters, smiling on the first day of training camp.

The Sabers aggressively pursued Johnson during his short time as an unrestricted free agent in July, not only to address their need for an experienced, defensively responsible veteran on the blue line, but as another leader. in a room full of players who have never won. the top prize in sport. Johnson put them first on his list because he sees their roster as “set up for success for many, many years.”

A recruiting pitch by Johnson’s childhood friend and college roommate at the University of Minnesota, Sabers captain Kyle Okposo, helped the Sabers land the 2006 first overall draft pick a year later. contract that counts $3.25 million against the salary cap. And Johnson needed only a few weeks in Buffalo to become an influential figure on and off the ice.

Johnson answered questions from the team’s young, talented defensemen on the blue line, including Dahlin, fellow No. 1 draft pick Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson. Thursday and Friday’s practices will be a chance for Johnson to skate with Samuelsson on the same defensive pairing. Soon, Johnson will show how he can help the Sabers’ penalty kill improve after finishing 28th in the NHL last season.

“He won a Cup,” said Sabers winger Alex Tuch, who reached the Stanley Cup final with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018. “All of a sudden, you walk into a room, none of us, in my mind. … Immediately it goes to leadership. I mean, what is this, his 17th year in the NHL? He is approaching 1,000 games. He has been the Colorado Avalanche captain, assistant captain and more. The amount of experience, first overall pick. Three first overall pick defensemen, too, who can learn a lot from him because he plays under pressure, he plays on different teams. He played on teams that really struggled and he played on unbelievable hockey teams.

“His presence, leadership and mentality every day and his drive and determination I’ve seen in the few weeks of knowing him. But he’s also a very easy going guy. Happy-go-lucky guy, good guy for those young guy to be around, too. I think we can all learn from him. I’ll try to learn as much as I can from him.”

Leaving Denver wasn’t Johnson’s first choice. It became his residence since it was exchanged for St. Louis Blues signed Johnson in 2011, less than five years after they selected him with the first pick in the NHL draft. He spent his off seasons in Denver and plans to stay there once he retires as a player. Johnson was there during the Avalanche’s brutal 48-point season in 2016-17 that earned them the right to draft defenseman Cale Makar and captained them for one season as they built off- ice culture that shaped them into Stanley Cup champions. Johnson was on the ice in critical situations when the Avalanche made a run at the Cup two summers ago. But the team informed Johnson in June that it would not re-sign him.

Buffalo emerged as Johnson’s top choice. Okposo added to the team’s sales pitch by answering Johnson’s questions and informing him about what the Sabers are building behind the scenes to complement their exciting, fast-paced attack on the ice. Johnson and Okposo became friends at age 8 when they were summer hockey teammates. They’ve been close ever since and even share the same agent, Pat Brisson.

“What I know about him now is how good of a professional he is and how dedicated he is to his craft,” Okposo said. “It’s already hurt our guys and he’s just a solid NHL defenseman who’s played 15 years in the league and knows what he’s doing and knows how to be his best and you don’t it’s pretty special when you can add somebody like that in our group and he said, I talked to him yesterday and he just said how happy he is here and how much he loves it and how he just fit in great. So, I’m very happy to have him.”

The situation in Buffalo did not remind Johnson of the challenging years in Colorado. The Avalanche missed the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons. These Sabers have more talent. They ranked third in the NHL in scoring and missed the playoffs by just one point in April. He was drawn to Buffalo because of their skilled forwards, young defense and talented, albeit inexperienced, goaltending tandem of Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Johnson didn’t need to teach Dahlin how to execute a flawless rush to the end. There’s no point in telling Power to make a tape-to-tape breakout pass, either. But Johnson can help the rest of the group — with an average age of 24 years old — gain a competitive advantage in every other area of ​​work, including recovery. Johnson recalled Friday after practice that he learned the importance of recovery from one of his first NHL teammates, Hall of Fame winger Paul Kariya, who finished his career in St. Kariya was one of many older players who helped Johnson early in his career, and he wants to do the same for his Buffalo teammates.

Many of Johnson’s younger teammates have adopted his Colorado routines. He wasn’t alone after practices and games. It’s only been a few weeks since Johnson arrived in Buffalo, but he’s already planning something similar with the Sabers.

“I tell those guys that in order to have a long, successful career, it’s like what you do to prepare yourself to go on the ice,” he shared. “I just told these people what was needed, and they asked questions and I answered them. I still do the same thing. I think we have a small club sauna for our (defensemen). It would be good.”

The Sabers open the regular season in less than three weeks when they host the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center on Oct. 12, giving Johnson time to adjust to a defensive system that differs from the one in Colorado. He has settled in Buffalo after traveling here in July to find a place to live. The tree-lined streets and views of Lake Erie reminded him of Minnesota summers. The talent on the ice is a reminder of why he made the leap to sign with a team that hadn’t made the playoffs in 12 years.

It shouldn’t be a one-year trial for Johnson, either. He wants to earn a longer stay while helping his young teammates reach new heights.

“I signed a one-year deal, but hopefully I can be here for a few years and take this team where it wants to go and get this city a Cup,” he said.