The veteran blueliner was re-signed by the team to a one-year, $1-million deal after they acquired him at last season’s trade deadline and is essentially going to replace Marc Staal for being the seventh defenseman. While he might not bring a whole lot of his former top-pairing self on the ice, Johnson knows his role as an experienced leader on the back end. And the one player that might need someone with the 16 years of experience that he does in the NHL, is the incoming phenom Matvei Michkov.

Johnson is already talking to the top Flyers prospect across the Atlantic, but when he comes over here, the veteran blueliner is ready to be there for the 19-year-old winger.

“I’m here for him any way he needs and helping him acclimate to Philly, to the NHL,” said Johnson during a media availability on Thursday. “Whether he needs a ride or needs recommendations on where to eat on the road, has questions about how practice is run, how things are going on with meetings, schedule, all that, he knows that I’m here for him to answer any questions and I’m excited to work with him.

“He’s a high-end package, tons of skill, and looks like Philly has a great one on their hands for a long time.”

While it might not have been with the same amount of experience and knowledge, Johnson has already played mentor in the NHL. During his peak Colorado Avalanche days, a bevy of young top prospects — that eventually led that team to a championship — like Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar played their first NHL games with Johnson on the roster.

Now, he gets to hang around another young star who is just starting their NHL career.

But beyond the opportunity to be a mentor for Michkov, Johnson also knows that the role on his team isn’t necessarily to be relied upon heavily for his on-ice ability. And he is more than fine with staying in the role that has been set for him.

“My days of 25, 26 minutes a night are behind me and I know that, I’m comfortable with it,” Johnson said. “I told them I’d be open for any role. I’m here to help these guys, on and off the ice, whether it’s 20, 30, 40, 50 games or whatever it is, I’m here for them and I’m here for the Flyers. Whatever they’re going to ask of me, I’m going to do.”

It certainly sounds like Johnson won’t cause a stink about not getting on the ice for a large stretch of games. The main reason the Flyers acquired him in the first place was just some security on the blue line, as a whole lot of defensemen were injured at the time, and now it’s going to be the same.

This Flyers team is not expected to be any better than last season, but there is a belief among the roster and specifically with Johnson, that they could go out there and shock the hockey world.

“Maybe it’s a young team with low expectations, but that doesn’t mean anything. We could go in and surprise a bunch of teams, a bunch of pundits, whoever,” Johnson said. “There’s no telling what you can do if you get hot, you ride your goalie, you have some young enthusiasm, you inject some youth, speed, skill in your lineup.

“I think we have to believe that we can do damage this year and make the playoffs and you never know what can happen once you get in. I think that’s our mindset, that’s what we have to believe as a team and I think that’s what we’re going to preach when camp starts.”

There certainly is some mystery with the upcoming Flyers season with a lot of variables. Could Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov suddenly find their footing and put up good goaltending numbers? Sure. Could young players like Jamie Drysdale, Joel Farabee, and Tyson Foerster take the next step and cement themselves as top-of-the-lineup players? They certainly could. And can Matvei Michkov be even better than we think he can be, and lead this team in a generational talent way? Maybe.

This is the beauty of the summer and before the NHL regular season, anything can be a possibility if the right things happen. And we can dream up just the perfect scenario for just about any team.

One thing we do know for certain is that Erik Johnson will be a depth defenseman and provide some sort of behind-the-scenes leadership and mentorship for this young team, and he’s perfectly happy to do so.