The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed defenseman Ryan Johnson to a three-year contract worth an average annual value of $775,000, the team announced Tuesday. The deal is two-way for the first year and one-way for the remaining two years.
Johnson, 23, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent on Tuesday. He has played 44 games – 41 in 2023-24, three in 2024-25 – in his NHL career with the Sabres, totaling seven assists and a plus-one rating with an average ice time of 14:08.
With the AHL’s Rochester Americans over the last two seasons, Johnson has recorded 22 points (2+20) and a plus-18 rating in 93 regular season games. The 6-foot-1, left-shot blueliner has added two assists in 13 Calder Cup Playoff contests.
“Ryan Johnson is right there, he’s right on the cusp of making a step and being part of our everyday lineup,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said during his end-of-season press conference in April.
Buffalo selected Johnson in the first round (31st overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The Irvine, Calif., native then played four seasons at the University of Minnesota, the last as an alternate captain. Johnson also represented the United States at the 2021 World Junior Championship.