Erik Johnson signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 1 with a full understanding of what his role would be this season.
The 36-year-old defenseman knows he won't be in the lineup every game, but enjoyed the brief time he spent with the Flyers last season so much that it was worth it for him to sign on for a 17th NHL season.
"My days of 25, 26 minutes at night are behind me," Johnson said Thursday. "I know that and I'm comfortable with it.
"I told them I'd be open for any role. I'm here to help these guys on and off the ice. Whether it's 20, 30, 40, 50 games, or whatever it is, I'm here for them and I'm here for the Flyers, and whatever they're going to ask of me, I'm going to do."
Johnson, who won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, had three points (two goals, one assist) in 16:25 of ice time in 17 games with Philadelphia last season after being acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on March 8.
He's averaged 20:52 of ice time in 987 regular-season games with the Flyers, Sabres, St. Louis Blues and Avalanche, but that number likely will be far lower this season. His biggest contribution likely will be as a mentor for the younger defensemen, including Jamie Drysdale, 22; Cam York, 23; and Egor Zamula, 24.
"I remember being really influenced by great veterans in St. Louis, Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight, Paul Kariya, and then in Colorado, I had Adam Foote and Milan Hejduk," Johnson said. "All those guys were at the tail end of their careers, but they really offered a lot of things off the ice that I still carry with me today.
"While I'm not in the prime of my career, I still think I can offer a lot of things. There's so much that goes into being a pro, not only on the ice, but off the ice. I'm here to show these guys in any way I can what it takes. A lot of these guys have it figured out, they're such good players, great pros with good heads on their shoulders, but anything I can add, I'm here to do it."
Johnson's mentorship won't apply just to defensemen. As a former No. 1 pick by the Blues in 2006, he knows what it's like to have high expectations, and has been in communication with top forward prospect Matvei Michkov, the No. 7 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft who signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers on July 1. They are represented by the same agents, Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry.
The 19-year-old is expected to play a top-six forward role and be on the first power-play unit, and invigorate an offense that was 27th in the NHL in scoring (2.82 goals per game) and last on the power play (12.2 percent) last season.
"I've been doing my best to communicate with him via Instagram and with the translation tool it's been pretty easy to do that," Johnson said. "Just trying to get him comfortable. Any questions he has, I'm answering them for him. Even as an American guy breaking into the league as a 19-year-old like I did back in 2007, I was super nervous being around the old guys. Just being in a new city, a new country, new language, new food, new everything. New rules, new ice sheet, all that, it's super challenging, and I can't imagine how difficult it would be for a young kid like Matvei coming over from Russia and just a new experience for him.
"I'm trying to help him anyway I can, exchange phone numbers. I'm here for him in any way he needs and helping him acclimate to Philly, to the NHL, whether he needs a ride or needs recommendations where to eat on the road, has questions about how practices run, how things are going on with meetings, schedule, all that. He knows that I'm here for him to answer any questions and I'm excited to work with him. He's high-end package, tons of skill and looks like Philly has a great one on their hands for a long time."
