Erik Johnson has a 'strong desire to stay in Colorado'

Pending unrestricted free-agent defenseman Erik Johnson doesn't want to talk about his contract status with Colorado Avalanche during the season.

So he got all his talking out of the way Friday at training camp, saying he hopes to work out an extension that's fair to all parties.

"I've maintained a very, very strong desire to stay in Colorado," he told Terry Frei of the Denver Post. "I really love playing in Denver and I love my teammates. I love the coaching staff and I love playing for Patrick (Roy), and having Joe (Sakic) in charge is awesome.

"It's my desire to stay here, but it has to work for both sides and I'm all for working with the team and trying to fit into the structure. I'm not out to get something over my value on the market. I'm going to work with them and I hope they work with me and we can get something done."

Johnson tallied 12 goals, 23 points, and averaged nearly 25 minutes per night before arthroscopic knee surgery in late January ended his season.