The Philadelphia Flyers buyout the final year of a contract. They say goodbye to veteran forward Cam Atkinson today. Atkinson was acquired by the Flyers via trade in 2021, where he was shipped off from the Columbus Blue Jackets to Philadelphia. Philadelphia acquired him in exchange for forward Jakub Voráček in a one-for-one player swap. Atkinson signed a 7-year $41,125,000 deal with Columbus in 2017. This contract was taken on by the Flyers after the trade taking up a lot of their cap. The club needed to make up some cap space and today now decided to move on from the veteran forward. Coming into today, Capfriendly showed Philly only had $803,572 to work with this offseason. Philadelphia’s decision gave them more wiggle room to make some moves this upcoming offseason.
Flyers Buyout Atkinson Contract
While with the club Atkinson appeared in 143 games, from the 2021-22 season to the 2023-24 season. He missed the 2022-23 season entirely, due to the fact he had to get neck surgery. He produced a decent amount with the club, putting up 78 points in those games (36g, 42a). As the Flyers look to get younger and improve their roster, this was a no brainer for the club. Atkinson’s cap hit was $5,875,000 (Capfriendly), giving Philadelphia a lot more breathing room to make offseason moves. Atkinson will be testing the free agency market for the first time since signing his deal in 2017. Atkinson has the chance to play for his third NHL franchise, or possibly return to Columbus.
The 35-year-old forward has spent 13 years in the NHL, 10 with Columbus and three with Philly. The Flyers buyout stings for Atkinson, but he now is a free agent. At his age, Atkinson will more than likely go to a contender for a low price to try and win a cup. Most players seem to take this path at the end of their career, and Atkinson can follow this trend.
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