Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton had different reasons for signing with the Buffalo Sabres at the start of NHL Free Agency on Saturday.
Johnson was college roommates at the University of Minnesota with Sabres captain Kyle Okposo. He thinks the Sabres are right on the brink of being a winner.
"That group, as a whole, reminded me a lot of the 'Avs' group," said Johnson on Sunday. "Dahlin seems super dynamic, and I think he’s one of the best in the league. With Power and Samuelsson, it’s a really great trio. So it just felt like a really good fit, and I think I can lend some experience and just help any way I can."
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Johnson wanted to retire as a member of the Avalanche, but Colorado wanted to move on.
The other player the 35-year-old knows currently with the Sabres is forward Tyson Jost. They played together in Colorado after he was the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.
After talking to both Jost and Okposo, as well as other friends, he felt it was a pretty easy decision.
"I had five or six other teams, but Buffalo, in my gut, felt like the place to go," Johnson said.
The thought of retirement wasn't even on Johnson's mind this offseason.
"My whole thing is if my body feels good and I’m having fun, I’m going to keep playing as long as I can. Thankfully my body feels really good right now, and just winning the Cup a few years ago re-energized me," Johnson said.
Johnson believes the Sabres are no longer a secret, as players around the league know Buffalo is a team on the rise.
"If this team could get into the playoffs, I think a lot of teams wouldn’t want to play us, because it’s a fast team. A skilled team that can play any way you want it," Johnson explained.
Just like Dahlin and Owen Power, Johnson was a No. 1 overall pick of the St. Louis Blues in the 2006 NHL Draft. He knows the pressures both players are going through as they find their way in the NHL.
"The biggest thing was I struggled at letting go of mistakes, and letting go of bad games. I’d carry them with me too long, and they’d turn into little slumps," Johnson said. "As you get older, you realize you have to have a short memory. What really helped me is controlling what you can control. So hopefully I can help those guys in any way I can. I’m a resource for them, and looking forward to helping them."
The Sabres were either at the top or near the top of the NHL in scoring during the 2022-23 season. Colorado has star players and can also score goals. Johnson says, though, that’s not how you win.
"We can turn the corner as a team if we focus on the defensive side maybe a little bit more. That’s what I learned in Colorado," he said. "You’re always going to have your offense. You can’t teach offense to guys. They either have it or they don’t. But you can always teach team defense. That’s what we really established in Colorado is letting those talents take over, but you eventually have to reign it in and you have to commit to the defensive side of the game to win. That’s what it's going to take in Buffalo, and I hope guys take to it."
As for Clifton, he says he wanted to join the Sabres to be re-united with head coach Don Granato, who coached him at the U.S. National Team Development Program.
The Sabres already have a lot of players that were with Granato at the USNTDP.
"That was a huge part. The coach that he is, he’s so easy to get behind, and he was a huge part in this decision," said Clifton on Sunday. "I couldn’t be more excited to have him behind the bench again."
Playing with the Boston Bruins, Clifton had a lot of experience playing against the Sabres.
"They’re dynamic and fun to watch, and they’re fun to play against," Clifton said of this group in Buffalo. "You know you have a high scoring game, and I think everyone feels they’ve been building something special the past couple of years. I’m excited to be part of it."
Clifton is hard to play against, and isn’t afraid of contact.
"I think my style fits really well with the guys. I play a two-way abrasive style, and I think I’m really going to help on the defensive side of things," Clifton said.
Clifton also knows what it’s like to go up against Tage Thompson and his linemates.
"It’s hard the way they create time and space, and you watch how dynamic they are," he said. "I remember Tage had a nice highlight reel goal against me this year, so I don’t look forward to that in practice. That’s something I remember, so hopefully that doesn’t happen too often in practice."
Clifton was a healthy scratch, at times, this past season, including the Stanley Cup playoffs. He says the reasoning was simply a numbers game.
"I had an elevated role due to some injuries, so I got some minutes I wouldn’t have gotten," Clifton said. "It was different, and I embraced the challenge."
Clifton knows partners get mixed up in training camp and during the season, so he’s ready to play with anyone in Buffalo.
The Sabres opened Development Camp on Sunday. Sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday are all open to the public.
