Josh Rimer is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche will ink Erik Johnson to a four-to-five year contract extension on Tuesday. Beyond that, the terms of the deal aren’t clear.
Assuming the report is true, Erik Johnson will become the latest in a long line of Avalanche restricted free agents to re-sign over the summer, including Matt Duchene, Steve Downie, and Ryan Wilson.
Johnson was the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and looked great in his rookie season. However, Johnson missed his entire sophomore campaign due to a knee injury and his career has been rocky ever since. His 2009-10 comeback campaign went smoothly enough, but his offensive production has steadily declined to the point where he had just 26 points in 73 games last season.
Johnson has plenty of talent, but if the Avalanche are truly signing him to a four-to-five year deal, then they’re taking a significant risk. Of course, how much of a risk that will be is entirely dependent on the cap hit.