Flyers' Ryan Johansen: Lands on unconditional waivers
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Johansen (undisclosed) was placed on unconditional waivers by Philadelphia on Tuesday for the purpose of terminating his contract due to a material breach.
Johansen had one more season left on his eight-year, $64 million contract. Before being traded to the Flyers in March, he notched 13 goals and 23 points in 63 regular-season appearances for Colorado in 2023-24. Philadelphia promptly waived the 32-year-old forward and assigned him to AHL Lehigh Valley, but he didn't see any playing time in the minors. There had been some speculation that Johansen wouldn't be able to play again due to a health concern, but placing him on waivers indicates that isn't an issue anymore. However, it doesn't necessarily mean his playing career will continue elsewhere. Johansen has 60 days to decide if he will file a grievance because of his contract termination, and reports from Chris Johnston of The Athletic and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet suggest that will be the case.
Johansen (undisclosed) doesn't believe he's medically fit to play hockey, and GM Daniel Briere doesn't expect to get the 31-year-old forward back, Jon Bailey of Philly Hockey Now reports Friday.
Johansen had 13 goals and 23 points in 63 contests with Colorado before being dealt to Philadelphia on March 6. The Flyers promptly tried to reassign him to AHL Lehigh Valley, but Johansen informed Philadelphia that he was hurt, which made him ineligible to be moved to the minors, per Max Miller of The Hockey News. Instead, he spent the remainder of the campaign attempting to recover from the injury. He comes with an $8 million annual cap hit through 2024-25, but the Flyers are only responsible for half of that burden with the rest being charged to Nashville because the Predators retained salary as part of the trade to Colorado back in June. If Johansen can't play in 2024-25, then he will presumably be moved to long-term injured reserve.
Johansen cleared waivers and was sent to AHL Lehigh Valley on Thursday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.
Johansen was sent to Philadelphia from Colorado on Wednesday as part of the Sean Walker trade. Johansen was presumably included by the Avalanche so the team could get out from under his $4 million annual cap hit. Johansen picked up 13 goals and 23 points in 63 contests with Colorado before being dealt. His offensive production this season is far below what Johansen supplied during his peak. The 31-year-old has reached the 60-point milestone on six occasions during his career.
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Flyers' Ryan Johansen: Traded to Philadelphia
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Johansen was traded from Colorado to the Flyers along with a 2025 first-round pick Wednesday in exchange for Sean Walker and a fifth-round pick in 2026. Following his move to Philadelphia, Johansen was designated for waivers by the club, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Johansen will cost his new club nearly $4 million annually against the cap, so the Flyers might hope another team will pluck him off waivers and pay his salary for the next two seasons. That's a high price tag for a player scoring just 23 points in 63 games this season. Regardless of where he ends up, Johansen will likely move into a bottom-six role for either the Flyers or a team that claims him off waivers.
Johansen had an assist, one shot and three hits in Thursday's 5-0 win over Chicago.
The entire line played a part in the goal on which Johansen assisted. Jonathan Drouin controlled a loose puck and fed Johansen, who's shot from the side of net slid along the goal line where Zach Parise banged it home. Johansen's play has improved recently, and the center had 15:27 TOI on Thursday, his most in eight games. He's recorded two goals and three assists during that eight-game stretch.
Johansen scored a pair of goals in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over the Canucks.
Johansen evened the score at 1-1 early in the second period, backhanding a rebound off the boards past Thatcher Demko for his first goal in 21 outings. The 31-year-old center would add a second tally in the final frame, the eventual game-winner in a 3-1 Colorado victory. Johansen now has four points (two goals, two assists) in his last four contests following an eight-game scoring drought. He's up to 13 goals and 22 points through 57 appearances while working in a bottom-six role with the Avalanche.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Returns to third line
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Johansen had an assist and won nine of 15 faceoffs over 13:26 of ice time in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Coyotes.
Following a recent swing on the fourth line, Johansen returned to the third line and helped on a Jack Johnson tally that tied the game at 2-2. It was the second assist in three games for Johansen, whose 23 shifts were the most he's had in the seven games since the All-Star break.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Dropped to fourth line
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Johansen had an assist and one block over 9:30 of ice time in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Capitals.
Johansen had the primary assist on Devon Toews' tally early in the first period. The helper snapped an eight-game point drought for Johansen, who was signed by Colorado to be the team's answer as the second-line center. Things haven't worked out so well. He was recently demoted to the third line and skated on the fourth line Tuesday. Johansen's last goal came Dec. 29, 18 games ago.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Picks up helper in win
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Johansen had an assist, two shots on net and one hit over 15:16 of ice time in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs.
Johansen had the primary assist on Ross Colton's empty-net goal, which iced the game and completed Colorado's comeback from a 3-0 deficit. Johansen has two points over the last three games, as the center attempts to fight off a slump. Since scoring twice against the Lightning on Nov. 27, Johansen has just two goals and five assists over the last 22 games.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Season-low TOI
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Johansen had a season-low 9:34 of ice time in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Vegas.
Johansen was recently moved to the third line amid a production drop off. The 31-year-old center has only two goals and four assists over the last 21 games. The one thing that could keep Johansen relevant is his work at the dot -- he's won 55 percent of his faceoffs, which tops Colorado.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Gathers helper in shootout win
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Johansen posted an assist, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in Monday's 4-3 shootout win over the Bruins.
Johansen set up Sam Malinski's second-period marker. The helper snapped a three-game slump for Johansen, who continues to see limited ice time in a third-line role after swapping places with Ross Colton. Johansen is at 16 points, 57 shots on net, 30 PIM and a minus-3 rating through 41 appearances this season.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Set to play Thursday
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Johansen (illness) is in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Stars, per the NHL media site.
Johansen was considered questionable as of Wednesday, but he's in the lineup. Expect the center to hold down his usual second-line role with time on the second power-play unit. He has three points over his last three contests.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Questionable against Stars
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Johansen is dealing with an illness and is consequently questionable for Thursday's game in Dallas, per Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now.
Johansen will at least travel with the team and the Avalanche are hopeful about his chances of playing. The 31-year-old has 11 goals and 15 points in 38 outings this season. If Johansen misses Thursday's contest, then defenseman Kurtis MacDermid might draw into the lineup as a forward.
