BUFFALO – Ryan Johnson’s legs are his greatest gift. The Sabres prospect is a sublime, world-class skater who possesses the talent to move alongside anyone.
“We know he can skate with the best players,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said of the defenseman following a recent session of training camp in KeyBank Center. “He can skate with the top players in the league.”
Pure skill isn’t an issue. To stick in the NHL, Johnson, the 31st overall pick in 2019, must develop into a more consistent and sturdy defensive presence.
“It’s how do you defend and what is your decision-making?” Ruff said. “And I think there’s times it’s really good.”
Johnson, 25, has also experienced problems in those areas.
Last season, he made the 23-man NHL roster out of training camp and played three games before the Sabres sent him to the AHL.
He hasn’t played an NHL game since Oct. 14.
At times, Johnson struggled with the Rochester Americans, even becoming a healthy scratch in the winter after registering a minus-3 rating in a blowout loss.
Now, his career has reached a critical juncture.
He’s beginning his fourth season, so he must clear waivers to return to the Amerks. Considering his skating ability, status as a first-round pick, age and easy-to-handle $875,000 salary cap hit, it seems unlikely he would pass through.
If the Sabres move on from Johnson – they drafted him so long ago that general manager Jason Botterill selected him with the pick the St. Louis Blues sent in the Ryan O’Reilly trade – perhaps they can deal him.
If he had a choice, Johnson, who will play in Thursday’s preseason road game against the Detroit Red Wings, would like to stay.
“I really like it here and really like the organization and the people in it, too,” the affable Johnson, who always seems to be smiling, told the Times Herald on Saturday. “And so I do hope for the best in that regards.”
Right now, the Sabres, having lost two defensemen to injury, might have a spot for Johnson on the opening night roster.
Mattias Samuelsson suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets that will sideline him week to week. Later in the game, Olen Zellweger went down with a concussion. Ruff said the newcomer is in concussion protocol.
Those injuries vaulted Johnson to perhaps seventh on the depth chart.
Of course, Ruff also made it clear Johnson can control things by simply performing, saying, “Any player gets to decide” the next step in his career.
Amerks coach Mike Leone said the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Johnson must develop an identity that includes making a strong first pass and “defending really hard in his own zone because he can skate with people.”
“He’s into his fourth year of pro, he has to be steady, reliable, consistent when you know what you’re getting every single night,” Leone told the Times Herald. “The mistakes are going to happen, but just the maturity in his game to do it all the time in every shift, I think is the biggest thing.”
Johnson, who played 41 NHL games as a rookie in 2023-24, has taken a mature approach to any struggles he has endured.
When he sat out last season – “It’s probably the first time he’s ever been scratched,” Leone said – Johnson studied film to get to the root of his problems.
“There was a time it looked like just a lot more minuses on the score sheet,” said Johnson, who compiled a minus-12 rating in 56 games with Rochester last season. “So, like, ‘OK, am I getting scored on just because or is there something I can do to change it?’”
Johnson found habits he needed to break. Leone said when he returned to the lineup, he played to his identity.
“Sometimes you need a reset, and I thought he played good hockey after,” he said.