The Return of the Condor

Erik Johnson’s 2024-25 season was a memorable one. He played in his 1,000th NHL game and returned to the city where he spent 13 of the first 15 years of his career. On November 16th, Johnson achieved the prestigious 1,000-game milestone while playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s now one of the 404 players in league history to play 1,000 games. His milestone was celebrated two days later when the Flyers hosted the Avalanche. Johnson was given several gifts from the Avalanche organization, including one presented by his longtime former teammate, Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog.

On March 7th, as the NHL trade deadline approached, the Avalanche struck a deal to bring Johnson back to Colorado.

In his return to the Avs, he posted two points (1g/1a) in 14 regular-season games while playing 16:36 a game. In the playoffs, he played in two games, averaging 14:49 of time on ice per game. Including his time with the Flyers this season, Johnson played in 36 games and posted five points (2g/3a) while playing 14:35 a game.

Johnson enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. He’s 77 games from 1,100, five goals from 100, 47 assists from 300 and 52 points from 400.