As Johnson examined his options for this summer, though, the landscape in Buffalo had changed. He saw a new general manager who he had some familiarity with in Jason Botterill and a new coach in Phil Housley.
All of a sudden, the opportunity was there. Johnson signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract to return to Buffalo on Saturday.
"I think any time there's change, there's always opportunity for new people coming into an organization," Johnson said. "For me, seeing changes, that was a positive and obviously there's still a lot of players there in Buffalo that I know and have a lot of trust and respect for."
Prior to being traded to Buffalo in March of 2015, Johnson had never started more than 23 games in any of his five NHL seasons. He was thrust into the net on opening night of the 2015-16 season after Robin Lehner sustained a high-ankle sprain and would go on to make a career-high 40 starts. He became known to fans in Buffalo as a calm, collected goalie with a knack for the big moment.
It was also the first time Johnson, always confident in his own abilities, had the stage to prove to others that he could handle a starter's workload in the NHL.
"It was really special here," he said. "I think the fans really embraced me by the end of the season. They got to see what kind of a goalie I was."
Johnson said he looks forward to competing with Lehner, with whom he developed a strong relationship that season, and cited the potential to work with again with goalie coach Andrew Allen - although he has not officially been named as a member of Housley's staff - as a determining factor in his decision.
Perhaps most important, though, was the fact that he looked at the organization and saw a commitment to winning.
"I think being able to come back and be a part of the organization again and to have that drive to win and get back into the playoffs is special to me," he said. "I guess that I always felt like there was unfinished business."
