Johansen’s Injury Woes Could Be Costly For Flyers

Ryan Johansen was only a part of the Philadelphia Flyers trade of Sean Walker as a salary dump from the Colorado Avalanche. He was never going to play for Philly, due to a number of reasons, both on and off the ice. But now an ongoing hip injury could wind up costing the Flyers big-time.

Philadelphia immediately waived Johansen minutes after the trade, with plans of sending him down to the AHL, and then buying him out in the summer. However, NHL rules state that a player needs to clear the end-of-season physical to be eligible for a buyout. At the moment, Johansen is being evaluating by team doctors for his hip issue, and he has no plans at the present time of playing for the Flyers' AHL affiliate at Lehigh Valley. 

The Flyers, it's reported, had no knowledge of any sort of injury at the time of the trade.

If they're unable to buy him out, Philly would be stuck with a $4 million contract for one more season, though if they keep him in the AHL for the year, that would reduce the cap hit to $2.85 million. 

A buyout, on the other hand, would only cost the Flyers $1.33 million in cap hit, with the Nashville Predators picking up the same amount, as they retained 50% on Johansen's original $8M AAV in a trade to the Avs last year. 

This could be one costly hip injury if it doesn't resolve by the end of the buyout period. Johansen had hip surgery back in 2017. 

Photo: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports