Five Current Colorado Avalanche Players Most Likely To Be Hall of Famers

5. Erik Johnson

Nov 1, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson (6) skates with the puck during the second period against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. The Blues defeated the Avalanche 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports

At this point, it became a difficult decision. The Avalanche have a lot of quality players, and a lot of guys I really enjoy watching. We are talking Hall of Fame career though. As much as I like Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O’Reilly, I have a hard time seeing either of those guys turning into more than just a really solid hockey player.

The other player I really considered was Tyson Barrie. Barrie has shown exceptional offensive talents, but he will need to really rack up the points to earn HoF consideration.

This left me with Erik Johnson. A bit of a longshot, I’ll admit. Feel free to disagree with me on this choice, or any of my list in the comments!

EJ is being counted on as the number one defenseman for the Avalanche, and is quietly having himself an outstanding season. At 26 years of age, EJ is just entering the prime of his career as a defenseman, and if the Avalanche defense as a whole improves, he is the type of d-man who could garner Norris Trophy consideration as the game’s most prolific defender. You have to figure, he’d have to win that award once to get into the HoF conversation.

Johnson was a first overall selection in 2006 by the St. Louis Blues. Since then he is often labeled as a bust, since he hasn’t had the impact many expected. Perhaps EJ is just a late bloomer. He still has a significant chunk of his career story left to be written, and if the Avalanche turn into a strong contender with EJ as their cornerstone defenseman, he just may be able to put together a Hall of Fame worthy career. He would need to string together a number of all-star worthy seasons, and make an impact in postseason play. He certainly has the talent to make it happen.

Johnson Career Stats

Goals: 39

Assists: 142

Points: 181

Games Played: 428

Notable Career Accomplishments

• 1st overall selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft
• 2010 Olympic Silver Medal with team USA