QUESTION: If David Perron got $4.3 million for two years, what kind of contract do you expect Erik Johnson to receive?
JEREMY RUTHERFORD
The Perron contract won’t have an impact on the Johnson deal, other than the fact that it’s clear the Blues are seeking short-term extensions with their young players.
Johnson is a former No. 1 pick and there have been only three top picks sign a second contract since the lockout in 2004-05: Alex Ovechkin (his second contract was a 13-year, $124 million deal); Sidney Crosby (his second contract was a five-year, $43.5 million deal); and Patrick Kane (his second contract was a five-year, $31.5 million deal).
Obviously those players have put up huge offensive numbers and two of them (Crosby and Kane) have won Stanley Cups already. I’m not suggesting Johnson be paid like them. His situation is different because he’s a defenseman, who generally take longer to develop, and because he missed a year with injury. But he’s still a No. 1 pick who has shown steady progression.
In his second season in the NHL, Johnson scored 39 points last season; only 24 defensemen had more points. He had 10 goals; only 11 defensemen had more. If the Blues want a two-year deal, I don’t see how Johnson gets a penny less than $4 million per season for the next two years.
JEFF GORDON
Erik will be a $6 million to $7 million-per-year player on his next deal. If I was representing him, I’d go for a one-year deal ($4.5 million) and then him make his case for all-star dollars. I can see Johnson jumping to 50 to 60 points this season and becoming the game-changer the team sought when it drated him first overall.
ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
Like David Perron, Erik Johnson can expect to receive a contract no longer than two years. And, like David Perron, Erik Johnson was hoping for a longer deal.
I’ve said numerous times that the best way to lock Johnson in at a cap-friendly number could very well be to lock him in to a 4-5 year contract right now. If Johnson develops into the player the Blues think he will over the next few years he’ll be in position to command big dollars. D-men who play big minutes and produce points get paid very, very well nowadays.
The Blues aren’t prepared to commit long-term to Johnson as they would like to see him define who he is as a hockey player before they pay him a lucrative long-term contract. I expect Johnson to agree to a one or two year deal (more likely two) and come in at a number higher than Perron in both years. Look for him to get a contract in the $2-$2.25 million range in year one and $2.75-$3 million in year two.
