Flyers will buy out final year of Cam Atkinson's contract

The future of Cam Atkinson in Philadelphia loomed large over the Flyers’ offseason. A highly-respected veteran who had fallen down the depth chart over the final few months of the season, Atkinson no longer appeared to have a natural fit with the club — but he still had one more year left on his contract.

By tomorrow, that contract will be no more.

On Friday, the Flyers announced that they would be buying out the final year of the 35-year old Atkinson’s contract (which had a $5.875 million cap hit), and placed him on unconditional waivers for the purposes of the buyout, which will officially be executed on Saturday.

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere made sure to praise Atkinson in his announcement of the team’s decision.

“When it comes to someone with the accomplishments and character of Cam, this was an exceptionally tough decision to make,” Briere said. “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.”

Atkinson was originally acquired in the 2021 trade that sent longtime Flyers Jakub Voracek to Columbus. Atkinson’s first season in Philadelphia was a successful one, as he scored 23 goals and 27 assists in 73 games. But he missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season due to neck surgery, and while he got off to a hot start in his comeback 2023-24 campaign, his scoring ultimately cratered in February, and he was scratched for 11 of the final 23 games by head coach John Tortorella, usually receiving fourth line minutes when he did play.

Atkinson expressed confidence in his end-of-season exit interview that he still could be an effective NHL player, but uncertainty regarding his future in Philadelphia.

“I think that question’s above my paygrade,” he responded when asked whether he remained in the Flyers’ future plans. “Control what I can control.”

Ultimately, Atkinson just didn’t fit on the Flyers’ roster anymore — especially with the news of Matvei Michkov’s KHL contract termination and his imminent arrival in Philadelphia next season. With all of Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink as right-forwards ahead of Atkinson on the NHL depth chart — and lefty-shooting Michkov much preferring the right side as well — it was difficult to envision a scenario where Atkinson would get the opportunity in Philadelphia to prove his skeptics wrong — an opportunity he craved.

“I don’t care what anyone says,” he said. “I’ve just got to believe in myself, like I always have, and prove everyone wrong, like I always have my whole life, and go from there.”

Now, he’ll look to do that “proving” elsewhere.

For the Flyers, the buyout will leave them with a $2.358 million cap charge on their books for 2024-25, which means a savings of $3,516,666 on the cap next season. That said, the buyout requires the Flyers to take on an extra cap charge of $1,758,333 for the 2025-26 season. But Briere has been open in stating that the team is looking at the 2026 offseason — after Atkinson’s buyout charges are completely off their books — as the first one where they plan to be active in making major adds from the outside to accelerate their rebuilding process, so this buyout does not negatively impact that internal timeline.

The Flyers did explore trade options with Atkinson, but ultimately, could not find a partner. So instead of keeping him on their roster for one more season as a semi-regular scratch, they’ll take the two-year hit, and bid Atkinson a fond farewell in hopes that he can get back on track in a new locale.