The Buffalo Sabres have completed a bit of offseason work, signing goaltender Jonas Johansson to a one-year contract worth $700K. Johansson was a pending restricted free agent.
If you can remember all the way back to February, you’ll recall that for a little while the Sabres were without both Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark at the same time. That’s when Johansson got his first chance at the NHL level, playing in six games and actually faring relatively well. The 25-year-old goaltender posted an .894 save percentage, stopping 135 of 151 shots.
In the minor leagues, he did much better and that’s where Johansson is likely heading once again in 2020-21. A third-round pick in 2014 he could actually become a Group VI unrestricted free agent when this contract expires, but he’s doesn’t appear to be the answer just yet for the Sabres at the NHL level.