Jonas Johansson Trying To Stay In One Place – Colorado – For A While (+)

Imagine this: you get a new job after being at a really bad one for the last couple of years. You even sign an agreement (twice) that you will stay with the job because you like it so much. But when moving to another location you keep getting flat tires. When the repair truck comes they ship your car to a location completely across the country and it takes weeks, if not a couple months, to get back on the path. This is essentially what Jonas Johansson had to go through, all in less than four months.

The Colorado Avalanche traded for Johansson with the Buffalo Sabres on March 20, 2021 for a sixth-round draft pick in that year’s draft. Later in June, the Avalanche extended Johansson through the following season. And this is where the disappointment started for Johansson. In December, after being called up for some games in Colorado, the Avalanche tried to place him on waivers for the purpose of reassignment. Except that didn’t happen. The Florida Panthers ended up claiming Johansson. Johansson played only two games for the Panthers and then was sent their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. He played one game in Charlotte and the season was done.

Meantime, the team that he waas claimed off of waivers from wins the Stanley Cup. The summer rolls around and Johansson signs as a free agent for a year with the Avalanche.

“I really like it here in Colorado,” is always what I hear him saying to the guys in the locker room. He goes almost all of training camp this year, is put on waivers AGAIN. The Avalanche just want him in Loveland, and have been trying to get him there since December, 2021. But Arizona had other plans. The Coyotes claimed him on waivers and held on to Johansson for five days while he did not play one game at all. He was put back on waivers and the Avalanche claimed him back.

Everybody still following along?

I had been hearing that the phrase “extremely frustrated” was being used to describe how he felt about the whole situation. His response to this was:

“I mean, extremely. I don’t know if it was like extremely frustrated, but you want to get the season going and you want to get to it.  You want to stay with the team, so I’m just happy that’s history now,” Johansson told me, after playing pretty well in a 2-0 Colorado Eagles loss to the Ontario Reign Thursday night.  “I mean, I can’t focus on that, but that’s what it is. Yeah I’m just happy being in Colorado and I’m just playing.”

I asked Johansson if Arizona ever mentioned any future plans with him:

“I’m not sure what the plan was. I mean, they said they had been keeping an eye on me and I mean I’m just trying to show up and play well and practice well,” he said.  “Then some of the guys gonna decide where I’m going to play. It was little unnecessary, but like I said that’s history and now we are here.”

I really think that Johansson is happy to have finally to made it to Loveland. He said they were just starting to get settle back in after all the moving around. He told me earlier in training camp that he came back to Colorado because of a “winning culture” and that he “loves it here.”

Johansson mentioned that he “loves the team as well and they are great guys.” Now this is a guy who truly wants to be in the organization and loves where the team is located. I always see him smiling (even after the 2-0 loss on Thursday night). He is just one of those guys you want to have in the locker room.

Now, if he can just manage to stay in the same one for a while…