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.
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Flyers' Ryan Johansen: Out indefinitely
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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.
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Flyers' Ryan Johansen: Heads to minors
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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.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Scores twice in win
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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: Adds helper in win
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Johansen notched an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Sharks.
Johansen has helpers in consecutive games for the first time this season, and he also had a goal in Friday's 2-1 win over the Blues. The 31-year-old center has returned to a second-line role with Ross Colton (leg) out of the lineup, but Johansen is rarely trusted with more than 15 minutes of ice time. He's up 15 points, 55 shots on net, 24 hits, 30 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 37 appearances this season.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Goal, assist in win
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Johansen tallied a goal and an assist in Friday's 2-1 victory over St. Louis.
Johansen opened the scoring in the first period, backhanding a loose puck past Jordan Binnington before adding an assist on Devon Toews' game-winner in the third. It's Johansen's first multi-point effort since Nov. 27 -- he had just one goal and two points in his subsequent 14 contests. The 31-year-old center now has 12 goals and 16 points through 37 games in his debut season with Colorado.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Racks up 12 PIM in loss
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Johansen delivered two hits and was assessed 12 penalty minutes over 14:33 of ice time in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Blackhawks.
Johansen was whistled for a late misconduct penalty for the second consecutive game. Tuesday's came after he received a roughing minor. He's not known for infractions, but 22 of Johansen's 30 PIM have come in the last two contests. It's been a frustrating season for Johansen, who recently snapped a nine-game goalless run and has been moved out of top six at times. Colorado's trade (and clearing of cap space) of Tomas Tatar triggered speculation that the Avalanche are in the market for a second-line center, a move which could permanently move Johansen to a bottom-six role.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Finds twine Sunday
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Johansen scored a goal on two shots and added 10 PIM in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Sharks.
Johansen entered Sunday with just one assist and a minus-3 rating over his last nine games. This was also the first time he's taken multiple shots on goal in one contest since Nov. 27, when he scored twice on three shots versus the Lightning. The 31-year-old center has struggled to adjust in his first season with the Avalanche, though he has occasionally been an effective scorer. Johansen has 10 goals, two assists, 49 shots and a minus-2 rating over 31 outings.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Returns to second line
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Johansen had one shot on net over 14:00 of ice time in Wednesday's 5-1 win over Buffalo.
Johansen, whose ice time has fluctuated of late, centered the second line and played well despite not getting on the scoresheet. He rang a shot off the crossbar in the first period and was part of an extended offensive-zone sequence in the third that produced Sam Malinski's goal.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Faceoff win yields assist
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Johansen notched an assist in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Flyers.
Johansen won a faceoff back to Josh Manson, who tallied the Avalanche's second goal. The helper was Johansen's first point in six games, a stretch that has seen him drop all the way to the fourth line. His 14:05 of ice time Saturday was his most since Nov. 15, but it's clear he's not trusted with top-six duties at this stage of the campaign. Overall, he's produced nine goals, two assists, 45 shots on net and a minus-3 rating through 27 appearances.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: TOI takes hit
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Johansen had one missed shot and won seven of 10 faceoffs over 11:14 of ice time in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Anaheim.
Johansen opened the season on the second line and as a regular on the first power-play unit, but he's experienced a recent reduction of ice time. Ross Colton has moved ahead of Johansen at both even strength and on the power play. Colorado head coach Jared Bednar responded when asked about the forwards' TOI following Tuesday's morning skate. "If Colton is playing well, and doing the job that he's doing, then he's earning more ice," Bednar told Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. "I don't have a set limit for our guys. I'm kind of watching them on a day-to-day basis, week-to-week basis, month-to-month, and taking all the information I have and then distributing the ice time accordingly." Over the last five games, Johansen has averaged 12:02 of ice time compared to Colton's 15:03.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Wraps in goal
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Johansen scored a goal on four shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Flames.
Johansen created the Avalanche's second -- and game-winning -- goal all by himself. He picked off a pass to the point in his own zone, then worked up the ice and converted on a wraparound. The center has been limited to three goals over 12 contests in November, and he's started to pay for it with a decrease in ice time. He's been under 15:00 in each of the last five games. Johansen has seven goals and only one assist through 20 outings. He has also added 39 shots on net, 13 hits, eight PIM and a minus-1 rating in his first year with the Avalanche.
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Avalanche's Ryan Johansen: Slips to second power play
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Johansen had one blocked shot and one hit over 11:13 of ice time in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Canucks.
Johansen's night also included a season-low 13 seconds of TOI on the power play. He'd been a staple on first grouping all season, entering the contest averaging 4:23 on the man-advantage unit. Jonathan Drouin replaced him there Wednesday. The two have alternated at times over the last week, so it might not be the end of Johansen's participation on the top grouping.
