Flyers send Erik Johnson back to Avalanche

Erik Johnson knew the role he would have when he re-signed with the Flyers in the 2024 offseason. It was one he gladly accepted and eagerly jumped into. He immediately got in contact with Matvei Michkov, ready to do whatever it took to help him along.

Johnson appeared in a total of 39 games for the Flyers, eclipsing the 1,000 game mark this season. He stepped in when needed and it was rare to see him without a smile on his face or having a good time. His pre-game antics became well known and something to look forward to in any game day preview.

In what feels like a thank you for what he's done and another chance to win one last Stanley Cup, the Flyers have sent Johnson back to the Colorado Avalanche. This move isn't surprising by any means and shows that Danny Briere was more than willing to do right by a player he has a long history with.

In return, the Flyers appear to be getting Givani Smith. Funny enough, Smith is the player that Johnson fought when the Sharks came to the Wells Fargo Center in November. And Johnson dropped the gloves because Smith was messing with Michkov before a face off. So he really was willing to do anything to help Michkov.

There isn't much to say about Smith as he's bounced around the league since entering in 2019-20 with Detroit. He has played for Detroit, Florida, San Jose, and Colorado. Splitting his time between the NHL and AHL, Smith has 76 points in 325 professional games, 22 of those across six seasons in the NHL.

Smith is more known for his physicality, ammassing 268 penalty minutes in his career. It's more impressive when you see that the most he has played in a single NHL season is 36 games. In 13 games between the Sharks and Avalanche this season, Smith had 18 penalty minutes.

Smith will be a free agent at the end of the season so he will most likely finish out the year with the Phantoms before moving on. Unless Philadelphia sustains multiple injuries, don't expect Smith to don a Flyers' jersey.