Avalanche re-acquire Erik Johnson from Flyers for Givani Smith

This will be Johnson’s second rodeo in Denver. He first joined the Avalanche in Feb. 2011 after he was traded from the St. Louis Blues in the deal that sent Kevin Shattenkirk the other way. He ended up playing the next 12 seasons with Colorado, becoming a key member of the rising franchise that ended up winning the team’s third Stanley Cup in 2022.

Johnson played in 717 games for the Avs, scoring 68 goals and 178 assists for 246 points.

The deal also marks the second straight trade deadline at which Johnson has been on the move. Last year, the Buffalo Sabres—with whom Johnson signed as a free agent in 2023—traded the veteran to the Flyers for a fourth-round pick.

This season, Johnson has seen only a select number of games, being held out of the Philly lineup as a healthy scratch. In the 22 games he has appeared in, he has notched a goal and two assists, posting a plus/minus of -3 while averaging 13:18 of ice time.

In 1,009 career NHL appearances, Johnson has scored 94 goals and 252 assists for 346 points, including 13 points in 55 postseason games.

Smith has bounced around the NHL over the past few years. He started the season with the San Jose Sharks but was sent to Colorado, along with goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, as part of the deal that saw netminder Alexandar Georgiev head to San Jose.

So far this season, Smith has appeared in just 13 games, having not registered a point since the 2023-24 campaign. Across six NHL seasons, the 27-year-old has appeared in 168 games, scoring nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points.

The Avalanche (37-24-2) is fourth in the Central Division, holding the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The Flyers (27-28-8) are seventh in the Metropolitan Division, five points behind the last Eastern Conference Wild Card position.