Red Wings Ink RFA Johansson to Two-Year Pact

One restricted free agent down, two to go for the Detroit Red Wings. The club was announcing on Monday that it had come to an agreement on a two-year contract with defenseman Albert Johansson. The pact has an AAV of $1.125 million.

After seeing little action during his rookie season while Derek Lalonde was behind the bench, Johansson would blossom into a regular role under new coach Todd McLellan’s regime. He was playing top-four minutes alongside Simon Edvinsson for much of the second half of the NHL campaign.

🗣️ ALJO!

The #RedWings have signed Albert Johansson to a two-year contract with an AAV of $1,125,000. pic.twitter.com/ZDxWseiU5i

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 30, 2025

“I got an opportunity under Todd and Yawns (assistant coach Trent Yawney) when they came in, and I think I took that chance and showed them that I can play in this level,” Johansson said. “And they show trust in me with that.

“I think confidence grows and you’re kind of just riding on the wave a little bit after that. But, yeah, I mean, I’m thankful for that opportunity. And, yeah, I think I did a pretty good job of taking care of it.”

Red Wings Johansson Has Offseason DIY List

Johansson’s offseason agenda has a two-pronged approach when it comes to areas of his game he’ll be seeking to upgrade as an NHL sophomore. He wants to become a heavier player. And he’d like to be more of a contributor to the offense.

“Getting bigger and stronger,” Johansson said. “I think that’s one of the biggest things for me to go home and have a good summer. I mean, I know I can get stronger. That will help my game if I get stronger.

“I’m not gonna push people around out there, but of course I can get stronger, and I think that would just improve my game. So that’s something I will work on. And then I think overall, just work on small things, like in my game, that I can improve and be a bigger part of this team and a better player.”

Grab that puck!

Albert Johansson has his first NHL goal! 🚨

📺: @NHLNetwork pic.twitter.com/WO5nzRUu0k

— NHL (@NHL) January 11, 2025

At times last year, he was displaying high level offensive instincts, as well as a potent shot. In his second NHL season, Johansson thinks he’ll be capable of leaning more into his ability to contrbute to the Red Wings attack.

“Yeah, I mean, my biggest focus this year was probably on the defensive side of the game,” Johansson said. “I think if you play good defensively, the offensive game will come and of course that’s something I want to work on and bring more to my game too.

“So, yeah, I mean, during the summer, the offseason, I go on the ice a lot. That’s things that I can work on there and hopefully bring a steady defensive game next year and yeah, hopefully some more offense, too.”

Forwards Elmer Soderblom and Jonatan Berggren are Detroit’s remaining RFAs.