Avs sign Johnson to seven-year extension

He was second among Colorado defensemen with 23 points and averaged a team-high 24:25 of ice time per game.

Whether or not he’s the type of player that can be the go-to guy on a contending team remains to be seen.

The Avalanche will be represented by Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy – who now serve as Colorado’s general manager and coach, respectively – as well as Peter Forsberg and Rob Blake.

The Avalanche announced that the deal is for seven years, while ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun puts the annual cap hit at million, making it a hefty $42 million overall.

“We didn’t like them and they didn’t like us”, said Draper, who showed up for the news conference along with National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, Rockies owner Dick Monfort, Avalanche President Josh Kroenke and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. Set to kick in at the start of the 2016-2017 season, the contract (per Andy Strickland) comes saddled with a modified no-trade clause; Johnson will have at least some control over his future as a $6M AAV player for Colorado until he’s 35.

Most inferred that Johnson’s reference to “structure” was about former teammate Ryan O’Reilly, traded to Buffalo in the offseason when it became clear he and the Avalanche were going to be unable to come to terms on an extension and the team would risk losing him to free agency next summer.

Johnson has played less than 50 games in two of the last three seasons, and a knee injury sidelined him after January 21 last season.

The Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche rivalry was arguably one of the most heated in professional sports from 1996-2002.

Nice work out of Sakic; now it’s on EJ to make this deal look as good as it does on paper. “I don’t think you can ask for a better setting”. This is my ninth year coming up here and to think about taking me to that age… By locking up Johnson to this deal they’re obviously hoping that he can continue to be the focal point of their defense. He has been productive over the last two seasons, including a career-high 30 assists in 2013-14 when he played 80 games, but that doesn’t mean he can sustain a similar level five years from now. “I can’t wait to help bring the Stanley Cup back to Denver”.

Said Sakic: “He’s an Avalanche and he wants to be here for the rest of his career”.