The Buffalo Sabres have made their first major move of NHL free agency, adding forward Marcus Johansson to a two-year deal worth $4.5 million annually.
The Buffalo Sabres have a lot of holes to fill on their roster. They have filled one of them in NHL free agency, as they have announced they’ve signed former Boston Bruins forward Marcus Johansson to a two-year deal, worth $9 million total.
Johansson’s cap hit will be $4.5 million. During the regular season, he posted 30 points in 58 regular season games. Johansson’s postseason was impressive, as he added 11 points in 22 games during the Bruins Stanley Cup run.
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His past two seasons haven’t been too good given his resume – he has 44 points in his last 87 regular season games. However, Johansson did have concussion issues, so that explains those struggles. Before his issues arose in 2017, he was a very consistent and productive forward.
Johansson has spent his career with three teams. His first seven years were with the Washington Capitals. Johansson spent a full season and a part of another with the New Jersey Devils before the Bruins traded for him at the 2019 trade deadline.
On the Sabres, he should be a nice upgrade to their top-nine forward group. Johansson would fit in nicely on either their second or third forward line. On paper, he would be a nice fit opposite recent trade acquisition Jimmy Vesey or Conor Sheary.
Johansson’s more of a passer than a scorer, but he’s proven to be a versatile forward. He excels on the power play, as he was the zone entry guy for the Capitals. Johansson’s concussions are a bit of a concern, but if he’s over them, $4.5 million should be a nice bargain for the Sabres.
Also, two years is quite reasonable for him, given his concussion problems. The Sabres aren’t tied to him long-term and Johansson should make them better in the short-term. Buffalo still has to address some of their holes, but Johansson fills a pretty large one.
After signing him, the Sabres have about $6.5 million of cap space remaining. They have to re-sign Johan Larsson and Evan Rodrigues, both of whom are restricted free agents. Currently, the Sabres have eight defensemen on their NHL roster, though they could trade one for a scoring winger.
In particular, Rasmus Ristolainen has been tied to recent trade rumours, especially with the addition of Colin Miller. Quietly, the Sabres have upgraded their team and added some nice scoring depth with Vesey and Johansson.