https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/32-thoughts-a-collection-of-late-off-season-notes/
- Didn’t get a chance to ask Daly about Ryan Johansen, whose contract can be terminated by Philadelphia. He’s got $8M remaining. Agent Kurt Overhardt is preparing for a fight, and the Flyers wouldn’t pursue this without a behind-the-scenes wink from the NHL.
I don’t like to question injuries, especially since anyone who's played 905 games (like Johansen) is guaranteed to have legitimate ones. I’m told the key will be everyone navigating how he went from not missing games and practices in Colorado to how he was unable to play for either Philadelphia or AHL Lehigh Valley. The timing is a little weird, which probably has something to do with video of Johansen dancing at his wedding. Again, I wouldn’t try to handicap this, except for saying the NHL and NHLPA hate risking precedent from an arbitrator, so a settlement is always the preference without an air-tight case.
by zanothium
3 Comments
A settlement is in everyone’s best interest, so Overhardt has to fight it. And so do the Flyers. It’s obvious Johansen is playing games here. I don’t doubt that he’s hurt or has damage; he’s been in the league forever. But, this has financial settlement written all over it. I’m glad the Flyers are pursuing and I wonder if this wasn’t the course the entire time.
The puzzling part is that Johansen couldn’t play any games IMMEDIATELY after the trade when he found out he was getting assigned to the AHL and he happened to have a “scheduled surgery” as soon as the Flyers bought out his contract on a material breach.
It’s kind of funny that his friends posting videos of his wedding to social media as normal people would do is what really brought this on.
Scheduling this “extensive” surgery as his agent called it, hours after they put him on waivers is funny too.