Erik Johnson didn’t hold back when the subject turned to trade requests around the NHL.
The former defenseman, who played 17 seasons and won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, used a Thursday, Nov. 12 appearance on ESPN to call out what he sees as a growing problem in the league.
“I can’t stand these guys halfway through their contracts that they signed in good faith with their team, now bailing ship and wanting to go for greener pastures,” Johnson said, per ESPN on X.
Johnson’s comments landed in the middle of a stretch filled with trade chatter involving some of the NHL’s biggest names. He pointed to a conversation he had with Dylan Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, who told him there was “a lot bubbling under the surface, behind the scenes that the public doesn’t know about.”
He also revisited one of the more notable trade situations from his own playing days: Matt Duchene’s exit from Colorado. Johnson said Duchene asked for a trade while the two were living together in 2016, and that he, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon later went to Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic and told him to get Duchene “out of here” because they felt he no longer wanted to be part of the solution in Colorado.
Duchene was eventually traded to the Ottawa Senators.
Johnson’s frustration lines up with a season already packed with movement and rumors. Connor Hellebuyck was traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the New Jersey Devils earlier this season.
Dylan Larkin, a former Detroit Red Wings captain, is still sitting out after asking for a trade. Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov also requested a move a couple of weeks ago.
And this week, speculation around Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov has picked up, even though both the player and the team have denied it.
Now working as an analyst for ESPN, Johnson made it clear where he stands: players should honor the contracts they sign.
In Other News...
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Real Test Without Nathan MacKinnon
The Avalanche had to move quickly after Nathan MacKinnon left a game in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return, a jolting development for a team that leans heavily on its top center for pace, production and momentum. In response, Colorado recalled forward Gavin Brindley from the Colorado Eagles, giving the lineup another fresh option as the club tries to absorb the loss without letting its attack lose too much rhythm.
Brindley has already been up and down from the AHL affiliate multiple times this season, so this is not unfamiliar territory for him. What makes this call-up more significant is the timing, with the Avalanche now needing someone to help fill the offensive gap while MacKinnon is out, and the next few games will offer a clearer picture of how well Colorado can manage the shift. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Prospect Is Making His Case In A Different Role
Gavin Brindley has already gotten a taste of both levels in the Avalanche organization, splitting time between the NHL and AHL during the 2025-26 season. The young forward has talked about how different those leagues can feel, not just in pace and detail but in the demands placed on a player trying to stick, and that experience has given him a clearer sense of where his game needs to go next.
Brindley has also started to carve out a different kind of value in the AHL, where his focus has shifted beyond simply producing and toward helping younger teammates along. With his background in international competition and time around notable players, he has seen enough to understand what it takes to keep moving up, and for Colorado that makes his development worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche Champion Opens Up About The Fight That Changed Him
Sam Girards time in Colorado is still a meaningful part of the Avalanche story, even after nearly eight years in Denver came to an end. He was part of the group that won the Stanley Cup in 2022, and his playoff run that spring also carried the physical toll of a sternum injury, a reminder of how much he gave to that team during its championship climb.
Girard has since moved on to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but his bond with the Avalanche and his former teammates has not faded. In November 2023, he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to deal with depression, anxiety and alcoholism, and his willingness to speak about that chapter adds another layer to how Colorado fans remember him, not just as a champion, but as someone whose fight went well beyond the ice. [Read more 🡒]