Last season, Buffalo had three defensemen under 24 years old ( Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson) playing huge roles for them. Prior to signing Johnson, the Sabres didn’t have a single player on their roster with a Stanley Cup ring, and that perspective should make him worth the price tag. He was Colorado’s longest-tenured player prior to signing with the Sabres and was with the Avalanche for every step of their rebuild from a last-place team to Stanley Cup champions.
But the Sabres couldn’t ask for a better veteran to add to a young locker room. He’s 35 years old, so he’s not the player he once was.
First, he signed Johnson to a one-year deal. Should the team give up assets to trade for a defenseman who has an expiring contract? If the Sabres added a player with a long-term contract, what else might that prevent them from doing?Īdams found a way to strike a balance on Saturday. What Adams and his staff were weighing was the cost of acquisition. He mentioned this week at the NHL Draft that there wasn’t a defenseman available that he hadn’t called about both via trade and free agency. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams didn’t make a big secret about needing to upgrade the team’s defensive depth.