Erik Johnson, Avalanche Agree to New Contract: Details, Comments, Reaction

It doesn't look as though Erik Johnson will be leaving the Colorado Avalanche anytime soon. According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, the 27-year-old defenseman agreed to a seven-year, $42 million extension with the team. The Avalanche confirmed the deal.

TSN's Darren Dreger added that Johnson will have a limited no-trade clause as part of the new contract.

Johnson is overjoyed to remain in the Mile-High City:

Teammate Matt Duchene is equally happy to see Johnson sticking around in Colorado:   

"Erik is a big part of the core of this team," said Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic in the team's press release. "We felt it was important for our franchise to secure his rights for the long term as he enters the prime years of his career."

Since getting traded to the Avalanche in 2011, Johnson has become a fixture on Colorado's defensive line. He also has 28 goals and 74 assists in 253 regular-season games for the franchise.

Johnson's original deal expired after the 2015-16 season, so hammering out the extension before the season removes what could've been a minor source of drama throughout the upcoming campaign.

Between this deal and the additions of Francois Beauchemin and Nikita Zadorov over the summer, Colorado has shored up what was a somewhat inconsistent defense last year.