Ryan Johansen's Agent Releases Statement Following Flyers Release

The agent for Ryan Johansen released a statement following the Philadelphia Flyers announcing they were terminating his contract.

Dec 29, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Ryan Johansen (12) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Flyers continued feeding the late summer news dump in the NHL when they announced the termination of forward Ryan Johansen's contract. With just one year remaining on his deal, the Flyers placed the forward on unconditional waivers for the purposes of ending his contract. In addition to the move, the organization shared that they did it due to a "material breach."

With the mysterious circumstances surrounding Johansen's release, NHL insiders quickly speculated that this situation may become more contentious before all things are settled. Elliotte Friedman predicted that there would be a "bit of a process here," when commenting on the situation via his X account.

As quickly as the speculation began, the next move has been made. Johansen's representation responded to the Flyers' move and made it clear that they will fight this decision. His agent and CEO of KO Sports, Inc Kurt Overhardt released a statement via the company's X account in response to Johansen's release.

"Ryan Johansen has a severe hockey injury tat requires extensive surgery which has been scheduled," he wrote. "Since being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, Ryan has worked in good faith with the Club, its medical staff, and authorizd third party physicians. The Flyers' attempt to terminate Ryan's contract is disappointing. We have been in contract with the NHLPA and will defend Ryan and protect his rights."

pic.twitter.com/YlIJYEoJPr

— KO Sports, Inc. (@KOSportsInc) August 20, 2024

With this latest development, it seems the Flyers and Johansen's representation have a contractual battle to fight. According to Friedman and Anthony Di Marco, correspondent for The Daily Faceoff, the Flyers feel they have the evidence to justify making this move while Overhardt is intent on taking this further.

What complicates this matter further is that bad blood already exists between the Flyers and Overhardt, The two parties just battled it out as former Flyers' prospect Cutter Gauthier negotiated his way out of Philadelphia and to the Anaheim Ducks before playing a game for his former organization.

If Overhardt follows through on his statements, he will likely file a grievance with the NHLPA against the Flyers. There's a few ways this could ultimately play out, but what's certain now is the Flyers and Ryan Johansen are not quite done with one another yet.

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