The Philadelphia Flyers were within their rights to terminate Ryan Johansen’s contract last summer and they don’t have to pay the rest of the forward’s contract, an arbitrator ruled on Tuesday, according to multiple media reports.
The reported decision ends a dispute that started shortly after Philadelphia acquired Johansen in a March 6, 2024, trade with Colorado. The Flyers also received a 2025 first-round draft pick in the deal, while the Avalanche got defenseman Sean Walker and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick.
The Flyers immediately placed Johansen on waivers, and he never played a game for Philadelphia. When the Flyers assigned him to their AHL affiliate, he refused to report, maintaining he had a hip injury. The team then released him, citing a “material breach” of contract.
The NHL Players’ Association filed a grievance on Johansen’s behalf. The Flyers reportedly convinced the arbitrator that Johansen wasn’t hurt, pointing out that he played in all 63 of the Avalanche’s games prior to the trade, including a contest against the Edmonton Oilers two days before the swap.
The arbitrator’s reported verdict gets both the Flyers and the Avalanche off the hook for the remaining $8 million Johansen was owed for the rest of the 2023-24 season and the full 2024-25 season.
Johansen, 33, sat out all of last season.
In 2023-24, his lone season with Colorado, he logged 13 goals and 10 assists.
Johansen previously played for the Columbus Blue Jackets (2011-12 to 2015-16) and the Nashville Predators (2015-16 to 2022-23). In 905 NHL games over 13 seasons, he has 202 goals and 376 assists with a minus-11 rating and 546 penalty minutes.
–Field Level Media
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