Ryan Johnson spent about half of his first pro season in Buffalo.
Total Season Stats: 0-7-7 in 41 NHL games; 0-9-9 in 27 AHL games
Age: 22
Contract Status: Signed through 2024-25 at $925k (ELC)
Ryan Johnson’s first pro season was split between the Sabres and the AHL’s Rochester Americans. He spent most of the season on Buffalo’s third defensive pairing, playing largely alongside Connor Clifton or Jacob Bryson, and was a healthy scratch for a few games when he wasn’t being shipped between the NHL team and its farm club.
Johnson started the season in Rochester before being recalled by Buffalo in early November. He was briefly sent back down on paper for a day to clear a roster spot, but was immediately recalled again and stayed with the NHL team until early March. The Sabres’ acquisition of Bowen Byram made Johnson expendable, at least temporarily, so he returned to the Amerks for the rest of the season.
During his NHL stint, Johnson was often paired with either Connor Clifton or Jacob Bryson on the Sabres’ third defensive pairing. He averaged 13:52 TOI, on the low side for a defender. In Rochester, he floated between the second and third pairings, playing alongside guys like Ethan Prow, Kale Clague, Zach Metsa, Riley Stillman and Nikita Novikov. (He spent the most time with Prow.)
It’s no surprise that Johnson looked good in his first pro season. He earned the NHL call-up, and lost his spot near the end of the season due in part to circumstances out of his control. He looked like a first-round defensive prospect, even if he didn’t live up to hopes all of the time. That’s to be expected, at least to some degree, for a rookie.
Johnson is signed for one more season and should get a chance to compete for an NHL roster spot, depending on what the team does with pending RFAs Jacob Bryson, Kale Clague and Henri Jokiharju. The Sabres only have five NHL defensemen signed for the upcoming season.
Season Grade: B