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Is he a center? Is he a winger? That's what fans in Buffalo want to know about new Sabres forward Marcus Johansson. With Buffalo's top-six bereft of talent outside of their top line, and with the trade of No. 2 center Ryan O'Reilly last season virtually eliminating the middle-six in a scoring role, Sabres general manager Jason Botterill had some huge holes to fill. Yes, they also need help at right wing behind Sam Reinhart but the biggest hole on the team to fill is that of a second line center behind Jack Eichel and it doesn't look as if Johansson was signed to fill that role.
If you have a strong feeling of deja vu with the signing of Johansson as a possible center, welcome to the club. Back in 2011 the Sabres were in the same predicament heading into the off season needing to fill a top-six center spot and but couldn't land the big fish--Brad Richards. This year Matt Duchene was the prize center catch and he opted for a very team-friendly deal in Nashville. With Buffalo out of the Richards running (with some even saying they never were to begin with,) the Sabres turned their attention to winger Ville Leino, who was coming off a strong 53-point season for the Philadelphia Flyers. Buffalo's brass witnessed a strong performance by Leino in the playoffs against the Sabres that year and convinced themselves they could turn him into a center. Then GM Darcy Regier laid a 6yr./$27 million contract on Leino and they're still paying for it after buying him out in 2014.
The parallels between Johansson and Leino really aren't that strong and end there however, the Leino signing and the position change will always stick in the craw of Sabreland.
On a conference call with the media this morning Johansson never really clarified were the Sabres expect him to play opting to say that "helping the team win" was his main focus. When asked about his experience playing center, Johansson said that he was a center in Sweden before coming to the States and that his first "year or two" in Washington was spent playing the pivot. In addition, when the Capitals suffered a rash of injuries a few years back, Johansson found himself at center again. However, most of his career was spent playing left wing since coming over to the States.
Fans who thought Johansson was signed to be Buffalo's No. 2 pivot should brace themselves for a letdown. Although it could work out that way dependent upon what happens in training camp under new head coach Ralph Krueger, it might be best to look at him as Buffalo's No. 2 left wing behind Jeff Skinner or possibly a top-six right winger, although he never mentioned that side during his 10-minute conference call.
One thing Johansson did mention a couple of times was the excitement he had joining a "young and exciting team" and a proper fit in what Krueger wants to do. "Talking to Ralph [Krueger] he has some really good ideas on how to play," he said adding later that what Krueger wants to do not dissimilar to what they did in Washington and in Boston, where Johansson had a lot of success.
When asked about similarities between the style of play in Washington and Boston and if similar things were discussed concerning Buffalo, Johansson said that the styles "weren't that different."
"I think [the style on both teams] just fit me. I think it was just defense, trying to get the puck back as quick as possible, play offense and then being able to do what you're good at and use your offensive skills a lot.
"I think that made guys feel comfortable offensively."
What Johansson is good at is skating and he has deft passing skills. He also has the ability to get the puck into the offensive zone and, as of late, go to the net to score those dirty goals. "When he was younger," Captials play-by-play man Joe Beninati said on WGR550 this morning, "he was playing on the peripheral a lot; he wouldn't get his nose dirty. I think as his career has gone along and he's matured, I think he's found a real nice home on the wing. He's become more determined to get to the front of the goal and get to dirty areas."
That comfort level in the dirty areas really shone through in the playoffs with the Bruins and by the end of their run, which was one win short of the Stanley Cup, Johansson was a fan favorite for what he did in the playoffs. And chowdaheads don't waste accolades on a wall flower.
A big part of his success, he said, was the comfort-level he had with his teammates and the system they were using in Boston. "It was just a really good group of guys [in Boston] that made me feel comfortable right away," said Johansson. "I felt like I was a part of the group and we played hockey that kind of fit me. I was able to play my game from the start and they made me feel comfortable playing my game."
It's safe to say that he's seeing similarities in Buffalo and took to liking Krueger and what he had to say which is why the unrestricted free agent signed a 2yr./$9 million deal to play for the Sabres. "First of all, [Krueger] seems like a really good person, seems like a good coach, a players coach and he was very welcoming right from the start," said Johansson. "Some of the ideas he has and the way he wants to play hockey too, for the young guys, it's exciting.
"I don't think Ralph is very different [from what I had in Washington and Boston]. The skill that Buffalo has with Jack and Skinner and then even on defense with Rasmus Dahlin and all those guys I think that's going to help them too."
The 28 yr. old Johansson was very cognizant of what the Sabres went through last season. He mentioned their early season success (which included a 10-game winning streak) but also mentioned difficulties that happen along the way. "There's got to be a positive vibe," he said, "you've got to want to move forward together.
"It's a game of mistakes and you've got to be able to make mistakes and move forward and not dwell too much on things gone wrong. It's such a long season but I think if you get everyone on the same page and working together, like I said if you make mistakes you work them out together, you learn from it and move on. I think, especially with a young group, that's very important."
So after everything you've read and heard (including his tele-conference today) still leaves you wondering what position he'll play for the Sabres this year, know this much, it would seem as if Johansson has really begun to mature as a player both on and off the ice. One can also take heart in knowing that Johansson believes he found a fit in Buffalo and made his decision to sign with the team because of that. Where that fit ultimately is remains to be seen as is how much of an impact he'll have on secondary scoring and overall team success.
We'll have two years to find out, but for now, it looks like Buffalo got themselves a pretty good player.
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