The hip injury that has kept Flyers Ryan Johansen norward out of the lineup has already limited the team’s roster flexibility. The condition, which may prohibit the Flyers from completing a buyout on his contract this summer if not healed, has now reversed the team’s attempt to assign him to the minors after he cleared waivers earlier this month, GM Daniel Brière told Jonathan Bailey of Philly Hockey Now.
Brière informed Bailey that Johansen’s injury caught the Flyers off guard when he was acquired. He was included in the Avalanche’s return for defenseman Sean Walker just a few days before the deadline. Johansen, who has a lower $4MM cap hit and was limited to 23 points in 63 games with Colorado, was placed on waivers the same day. Brière indicated shortly after the transaction that he did not expect Johansen to ever play an NHL game for Philadelphia, and that he was just included in the trade for salary cap management on Colorado’s end.
According to Brière, Johansen notified the Flyers immediately following the trade that he was battling with a hip issue, which did not keep him out of the lineup for long in Colorado. Philadelphia’s doctors then confirmed the injury. While the initial idea was for Johansen to rehab with their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the league altered the decision since an injured player cannot be sent down on a non-conditioning loan. According to Brière, the squad does not have a deadline for Johansen’s return to health. If he remains on the roster for less than 30 days, he will not have to pass waivers again before being assigned to Lehigh Valley.
If the Flyers can prove that Johansen’s injury healed by this summer’s buyout window, they may be able to buy out the final season of his eight-year, $64 million contract. They would only be responsible for half of the buyout cost; the Predators, who kept half of Johansen’s contract in last summer’s deal that sent him to Colorado, would cover the other half.
According to league game reports, Johansen was returned to the NHL roster sometime between Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over the Sharks and Thursday’s 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. As a result, his cap impact for the Flyers has increased to $4MM, up from the lowered $2.85MM they had as a buried penalty when Johansen was in the minors. According to CapFriendly, the reversal leaves Philadelphia with just over $500K in cap room.
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