June 28, 2024
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
The Flyers are moving on from veteran winger Cam Atkinson.
Cam Atkinson will be bought out of the final year of his contract, the Flyers announced Friday ahead of the start of the NHL Draft.
The veteran winger was set to carry a cap hit of $5.875 million for the upcoming 2024-25 season, but after struggling for the better part of this past year – after having missed the full one prior from neck surgery and approaching age 35 – the appetite to stomach that from the Flyers was hardly there.
Buying out Atkinson will spread the remainder of his contract out over the next two years. It'll cost the Flyers $2.36 million in 2024-25 and then $1.76 million in 2025-26 to clear the deck, per CapFriendly.
The Flyers also still have dead cap absorbed from the retained salary on the Kevin Hayes trade to St. Louis ($3,571,428 through 2026) and then the Tony DeAngelo buyout ($1,666,667 through 2025) from last summer – also per CapFriendly.
Atkinson was acquired from Columbus for Jake Voracek three years ago when the old front office regime led by Chuck Fletcher was looking to shake up an underachieving Flyers team on the fly.
Obviously, when looking at where the Flyers are at now, that didn't work, and as the team started shifting to getting younger over the next couple of years – especially with this past season – and as Danny Brière took over as the GM, a banged up and aging Atkinson got lost in the shuffle.
A class act.
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 28, 2024
Thank you and good luck, @CamAtkinson89! pic.twitter.com/6AkDxtkQPq
There was some noise that the Flyers were trying to find a trade before going the buyout route last week, but that never materialized. So now the organization is taking the direction with Atkinson that seemed inevitable.
"When it comes to someone with the accomplishments and character of Cam, this was an exceptionally tough decision to make," Brière said in a statement.
"Throughout his time with the Flyers, Cam has displayed an incredible work ethic and level of professionalism that is a true credit to him as a player and person. I've witnessed firsthand the amount of effort, dedication, and perseverance he went through during an incredibly tough rehabilitation process in order to come back and be a leader for our team on and off the ice.
"I would like to thank Cam for all he has put into raising the standard of our team. Cam will always have a place in the Flyers organization, and we wish all the success for him and his family in the future."
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