Johansson, a defenseman from Gothenburg, Sweden, played 15 of his 17 NHL seasons with the Washington Capitals, helping them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1998.

The Buffalo Sabres selected Johansson in the first round (No. 14) of the 1985 NHL Draft. He played two more seasons in Sweden before coming to North America for the 1987-88 season and playing 71 games and scoring 42 points (four goals, 38 assists). However, his offensive numbers (13 points; two goals, 11 assists in 47 games) weren't as good in 1988-89, and the Sabres traded him to the Capitals on March 7, 1989.

Johansson thrived in his new home. He scored NHL career highs in assists (42) and points (56) in 1991-92, then a career-best 15 goals in 1997-98, helping Washington advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since entering the NHL in 1974. He remained with the Capitals until announcing his retirement after the 2002-03 season.

However, the Toronto Maple Leafs talked the now-37-year-old out of retirement late in the 2003-04 season. He finished with six assists in eight regular-season games for Toronto but was scoreless in four Stanley Cup Playoff games and retired again, this time for good.

Johansson finished his NHL career with 535 points (119 goals, 416 assists) in 1,109 games, and 55 points (12 goals, 43 assists) in 105 playoff games.

After retiring, Johansson worked for the Capitals as an assistant coach before returning home to Sweden on June 23, 2014.