Confirmed with Link: Flyers Great Ryan Johansen Placed On Waivers For Purpose Of Terminating Contract Due To "Material Breach" (NHLPA Files Grievance 9/26)

[Beef Invictus]

If he was seriously injured, he wasn't playing every game.
Nor is Johansen known for being a "warrior."

Lots of players play every game while seriously injured; many of them should not be playing. We hear about this every off-season as the surgeries begin. Hockey teams and players are reckless as hell with the health of their assets/themselves. It is no wonder teams would leap at any possible way to start canceling contracts, and it's a method that could commonly be used.

 

[deadhead]

Players who are seriously injured don't play 63 games. They take nights off.
Warriors will play through dings.

This case has nothing to do with being injured, it has to do with fraud.

 

[Starat327]

Lots of players play every game while seriously injured; many of them should not be playing. We hear about this every off-season as the surgeries begin. Hockey teams and players are reckless as hell with the health of their assets/themselves. It is no wonder teams would leap at any possible way to start canceling contracts, and it's a method that could commonly be used.

Not sure how to tell you Beef, but....

The flyers acquired his contract, and as such, he is their personal property. Its no longer his decision if he is healthy enough to play, but theirs. They'll decide how he spends his time now with the club and if he can have a comfortable life after his playing days are done or if he spends it in a walker at age 35.

I am struggling to understand what you're missing here.

 

[Magua]

It was never a fight not worth starting.

I assume Johansen is up to funny business, but there is an argument that perception among players+agents is more important than other owners. They chose the scorched earth path with Overhardt. I've already made the case that if they wanted Buium -- they're stupid, so big if -- something like this is a way to smooth over a relationship long-term. A team that is paying $11MM to Cal Petersen should understand salary dumps.

I'm not even totally disagreeing they're in the right to pursue this path and bad precedent could be set. They're taking one for the league, which is good for.....well, the league. But I think at this point the M.O. of the Briere-Jones-Tortorella management triumvirate is clear: every fight is worth starting.

 

[deadhead]

I think the only reason for this fight is when they got him from Colorado he was "healthy." They didn't care if he played last season (he was that bad) but planned on buying him out this summer and saving $2.67M in cap room.

His fraud screwed up off-season plans. That money would mean they don't have to put Ellis on LTIR and can accumulate cap room for the TDL to have more flexibility.

 

[GKJ]

I think the only reason for this fight is when they got him from Colorado he was "healthy." They didn't care if he played last season (he was that bad) but planned on buying him out this summer and saving $2.67M in cap room.

His fraud screwed up off-season plans. That money would mean they don't have to put Ellis on LTIR and can accumulate cap room for the TDL to have more flexibility.

They were actually trying to trade him again and nobody bit.

 

[deadhead]

They were actually trying to trade him again and nobody bit.

Same goal. Reduce his cap hit. They would have retained half, saving $2M.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Players who are seriously injured don't play 63 games. They take nights off.
Warriors will play through dings.

This case has nothing to do with being injured, it has to do with fraud.

Players who are seriously injured sometimes play 82 games or close to it. How are Flyers fans of all people not aware of this?

The Flyers removing incentive to keep playing through an injury does not mean the injury doesn't exist. Assuming it doesn't because "how could he play injured?!" is an incredibly flawed take considering we are talking about hockey. If you need to defend the Flyers, find a more plausible way at least beyond pretending hockey players don't play through injuries they shouldn't play through all the damn time.

 

[Beef Invictus]

I want to restate that I do not think Johansen is a saint. The best case is that even if he is injured, he's timed everything to harm the Flyers. f*** this guy fully.

We really don't know what's going on. He claims injury. The Flyers themselves agreed he was injured, and have evidently changed their minds. They couldn't buy him out because of it. Now we are here. I don't think we have much more than that in way of known facts.

My problem is that it is totally fruitless to argue "how can he be injured if he played 63 games" when the sport is famous even among non-fans for the legendary toughness of players playing through severe injuries that would result in sitting out in almost any other sport. That boat doesn't float. There must be a more convincing argument, because "how could a hockey player play through a bad injury" isn't convincing.