The Buffalo Sabres drafted defenseman Ryan Johnson in the first round back in 2019. And he would have a golden opportunity in the Queen City.
As a Buffalo Sabres fan, you should be hoping prospect Ryan Johnson has been tuning in lately. The Blue and Gold have allowed an average of 4.67 goals per game over six games in February, which is worse than what they were doing in November 2022. And it should tell Johnson he’s with the right organization if he wants to play sooner than later.
How many times this season have we seen the Sabres break down defensively? How many more breakaways and instances when players are routinely caught out of position does there need to be for Johnson to say, “you know what, I’ll be in that defensive rotation sooner than later. And I’ll probably be a big part of it.”
No, he probably won’t make the jump straight from the college ranks to the NHL. His game may need some seasoning, which would require a stint in Rochester, but will this kid finally get it? If the Sabres keep playing this badly defensively, there’s not a better place in the league for him.
Ryan Johnson has got to sign with the Buffalo Sabres
Will he be the best defenseman on the team? At most, he will be the third-best, with Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power taking the top two slots. But he could most likely pass Mattias Samuelsson, even if the latter is a good complement to and will likely remain on the first pairing with Dahlin.
But it’s easy to envision Johnson eventually pairing with Power on the second. Because right now, who else is there? Ilya Lyubushkin’s been a disappointment. Henri Jokiharju isn’t consistent enough, though he’s played better than many give him credit for, Kale Clague is, at best a rotational piece, and Jacob Bryson shouldn’t even be on an NHL roster unless that NHL team planned on tanking.
If I’m Ryan Johnson, I’m picking up the pen and asking general manager Kevyn Adams, “where do I sign?” the second the season ends at Minnesota. If the defensive rotation remains weak alongside and behind Power, then this should be an easy decision for Johnson.
(Scoring data provided by Hockey-Reference)
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