Buffalo Sabres 2023-24 Outlook: Erik Johnson (Will He Bring Leadership?)

The Buffalo Sabres needed a blueliner with an edgy style that could also bring leadership to the team, and Erik Johnson fills the void.

Mattias Samuelsson is a physically imposing stay-at-home blueliner, but he was the only one the Buffalo Sabres had given Rasmus Dahlin’s and Owen Power’s respective two-way games. That changed on the first day of free agency this offseason when Buffalo signed 35-year-old Erik Johnson.

The former first overall pick is no longer a dynamic player, but when you look at his numbers, the seasoned veteran can still produce at a respectable level. In 2022-23 with the Colorado Avalanche, he blocked 102 shots and recorded 121 hits in 63 contests, showing us he can still shut down plays in the defensive zone.

With the Avalanche boasting an outstanding 93.8% on-ice save percentage at even strength and 5-on-5, it further showed us that Johnson will bring immense value to the blue line. He also pitched in on the PK unit, which once again, is something the Sabres need after they settled with one of the worst in the league last year.

Erik Johnson will bring another layer of leadership to the Buffalo Sabres

The likeliest scenario is that Johnson fills a spot on the bottom pairing, where he’s spent the greater part of the previous three seasons. But he will be at least more serviceable than those we’ve seen rotating in and out of the unstable pairing last season, so that alone lets things trend north for Buffalo.

Johnson’s leadership, however, is what the young rotation needed, and all (presumably) seven guys making up the Sabres blue line will benefit. Look for the entire unit to perform better as a group under Johnson, regardless of which pairing he ends up playing on.

Johnson will also remain an aggressive piece to the overall scope, so you can expect one of the Buffalo Sabres newest defensemen to once again threaten triple-digits in blocks and hits. And that will add yet another dynamic the team lacked in 2022-23.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)