The Philadelphia Flyers have placed forward Ryan Johansson on unconditional waivers with the intent to terminate his contract due to a “material breach.” “The Flyers will have no further comment at this time,” the team said in a brief announcement on social media on Tuesday.

Johansson, 32, has never played a game for Philadelphia, although he arrived in Philadelphia via a trade from Colorado on March 6. That trade sent defenseman Sean Walker and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick to the Avalanche. The Flyers also received a conditional first-round pick in 2025. The Flyers had put Johansson on waivers the day of the trade and tried to assign him to the American Hockey League (AHL), but couldn’t because he was injured.

Flyers general manager Danny Briere spoke about the unusual situation in an interview with Philly Hockey Now on March 17. “It’s fair to say we were surprised because of his hip injury,” he said.

“He claimed he was injured when we traded him, so we took him to the doctors. The doctors found the injury, so he’s rehabbing now. You can’t send an injured player down, so he’ll stay on our roster and try to recover,” Briere said.

Johansson had an $8 million salary cap hit for the 2024-25 season and would have become an unrestricted free agent after that.

Johansson recorded 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 63 games played with Colorado last season. In his career, he has scored 578 points (202 goals, 376 assists) in 905 games with the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Avalanche. He was drafted by Columbus in 2010 with the fourth overall pick.

According to ‘The Athletic’, Johansson will have 60 days to file a grievance with the NHL Players Association against his contract termination. The report states that “he is likely to do so.”

Why is this matter in the news?

This situation of Johansson has become a topic of discussion not only among hockey fans but in the entire sports world. Such a contract termination for a high-profile player is rare in the world of sports and the reasons behind it have made it even more mysterious.

Johansson’s career is still at a critical juncture, and all eyes are on his next move. Will he file a grievance through the NHLPA, or take another route? That will become clear in the coming weeks.