Flyers make expected Ryan Johansen contract move

The Philadelphia Flyers and Ryan Johansen appear to be on the road to a messy divorce.

The Philadelphia Flyers are moving closer to completely parting ways with center Ryan Johansen. The team is placing Johansen on unconditional waivers, per Sports Net Canada. The move is aimed at terminating the center's contract.

Johansen has one-year left on his current deal with the team. It comes with a hefty price tag of $8 million. Johansen posted 23 points in 2023-24, including 13 goals. Johansen is a journeyman who played last season with the Colorado Avalanche. He was traded to Philadelphia during the campaign, but never suited up for the club. The center has also played for the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets in his lengthy NHL career.

The center has appeared in more than 900 league games. He has 202 career goals, as well as 376 assists. Johansen was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft. He is clearly an experienced player, and will likely get another shot with another franchise.

It appears that the upcoming divorce between the Flyers and Johansen isn't amicable. The center has 60 days to file a grievance against the franchise's decision with the league's player association. He is leaning toward filing that complaint, per TSN. A grievance could lead to a negotiated settlement between the two parties.

Flyers looking for answers moving forward

Johansen battled a hip injury after joining the Flyers in 2023-24, that kept him from appearing on the ice. The Flyers could surely have used his leadership and experience. The center appeared in a Stanley Cup final when he was a member of the Predators, and helped that team make the postseason several times during his tenure there.

Philadelphia finished last season with just 87 total points in the Eastern Conference. The team finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division, with just 38 wins. The Flyers are used to having success in the East, and look to mount a comeback from that frustrating campaign.

Philadelphia has their hands full this offseason with both finding and retaining talent. The team is trying to work out a way to get promising goaltender Alexei Kolosov on the franchise's roster. Kolosov recently changed agents and that is causing some consternation for the team, per NBC Sports. Kolosov is a prospect who doesn't speak much English, and that has caused him to think twice about playing in the United States.

“We had people checking on him every day, guys were trying to get him. He's shy, he didn't speak a lot of English. So going into the season, we wanted to help him out and put him in the best possible position to succeed this year,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said, per NBC.