Philadelphia Flyers to buyout remainder of Cam Atkinson’s contract

Philadelphia Flyers’ general manager Daniel Briere announced on Friday that the team will be buying out the remainder of winger Cam Atkinson‘s contract.

Atkinson, 35, was entering the final year of his seven-year contract with a $5.875 million cap hit. The buyout will leave the Flyers with a $2,358,333 cap hit in the 2024-25 season and a $1,758,333 in the 2025-26 season. Philadelphia will have roughly $4.3 million in cap space going into the offseason after the buyout.

“When it comes to someone with the accomplishments and character of Cam, this was an exceptionally tough decision to make,” said Briere in a statement released by the Flyers. “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’s buyout comes after significant struggles in the 2023-24 season, where he had just 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 70 games. His 28 points was the lowest total in a season where he’d played at least 65 games, with the previous low being 40 points in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Atkinson was a sixth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2008 NHL Draft, and he played out three years at Boston College before he made his NHL debut with Columbus in the 2011-12 season. He then played 10 seasons with the Blue Jackets before he was dealt to the Flyers in the 2021 offseason for Jakub Voracek. He’s then spent the past three seasons in Philadelphia, although he’s only played in two of them, missing all of the 2022-23 season due to a herniated disc and requiring surgery for his left tricep.