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Marcus Johansson signs two-year deal with Buffalo Sabres

By Ian Oland

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July 6, 2019 11:31 am

Marcus Johansson, the best remaining free agent forward on the market, has found his new team. Johansson signed a two-year, $9 million deal with the Buffalo Sabres, continuing his recent tour of East Coast teams.

Sportsnet’s David Amber was the first to report the news.

Buffalo will mark the fourth different Eastern Conference team Johansson has played for since 2017.

Despite helping lead the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final, the former Capitals winger will receive a modest pay reduction. Johansson just completed a three-year, $13.75 contract that he originally signed with Washington that paid him $4.583 a season. Now he will make $4.5 AAV.

The Capitals were rumored to be interested in “taking a run” at Johansson at the start of free agency, but those plans never materialized as the salary cap went up $1.5 million less than anticipated. The Capitals made a flurry of moves on the first day of free agency, signing three bottom-six forwards: Richard Panik, Garnet Hathaway, and Brendan Leipsic.

The Capitals will now use their final $4.3 million re-signing restricted free agents Jakub Vrana and Christian Djoos and making a decision on Chandler Stephenson.

More from the Sabres:

The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team has signed forward Marcus Johansson to a two-year contract with an AAV of $4.5 million.

Johansson (6’1″, 205 lbs., 10/6/1990) split time between the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins in 2018-19, where he recorded 30 points (13+17) in 58 combined games. He added a career-high 11 points (4+7) in 22 playoff games for the Bruins during their Stanley Cup Final run.

A nine-year NHL veteran, Johansson has recorded 334 points (120+214) in 588 career games and added 41 points (13+28) in 94 career playoff contests. He has appeared in the playoffs in all but one of his NHL seasons since being drafted by the Washington Capitals in the first round (24th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.

Internationally, Johansson has represented his country in three major tournaments. The Landskrona, Sweden native captained his country to a bronze medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship after being a member of the squad that took home a silver medal at the 2009 World Juniors. He also played for Team Sweden at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

Headline photo: Buffalo Sabres