Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson spoke to the media on Thursday about his recent contract extension, which sees him staying with the Flyers for one year with a $1 million AAV.
Johnson spoke at length about how welcome he's felt in the Flyers' locker room since joining the team from the Buffalo Sabres in March, describing how he immediately felt welcomed by his teammates,
"Right when I got to Philly, I loved the guys and felt super welcome," he said. "A lot's been talked about the locker room and what a great group it is, but to speak on experiencing it as an older veteran player, it was truly awesome just to be with those guys. It's a great mix of older guys and youth."
He also praised the other facets of the Flyers organization, from the front office leadership of Danny Briere, Keith Jones, and Dan Hilferty, to the coaching of John Tortorella and his staff.
"It's a great organization from top to bottom," Johnson said. "It really impressed me—not just the people, but the facilities, the city is all top notch. Just from the leadership on down to the coaching staff and the players, it's a first-class organization. It's really somewhere I wanted to be. Even though I was [here] such a short time, I felt like I had a connection with [the guys] that felt longer than that, which is a testament to the locker room and the culture that's been created there."
Although he had been in contact with several other teams during free agency and as the trade deadline approached, Philadelphia was the side that ultimately won him over.
"I was talking to five or six teams last summer, then at the deadline this year, there were three, four, five teams I almost went to," he s. "Philly ended up being the one I wanted an opportunity to play for. It ended up being a great fit."
And if the decision to initially join the Flyers was easy, making the choice to re-sign for another year was truly a piece of cake.
"I love playing for the Flyers," Johnson stated. "I love the guys. It was a no-brainer to return."
