Philadelphia Flyers forward Cam Atkinson has appeared on a list of buyout candidates in the NHL this offseason, joining eight other players in a report from Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
Philadelphia Flyers forward Cam Atkinson has appeared on a list of buyout candidates in the NHL this offseason, joining eight other players in a report from Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
Atkinson is one of the highest-paid forwards on the Flyers, with a $5.875 million AAV with a single year left on his current contract. Despite his paycheck, Atkinson was in and out of the lineup this past season, and failed to impress fans—and himself—with his performances on the ice.
"I guess the word I could say is just disappointed," he said during the Flyers' exit interviews back in April. "Yeah, it's unlike any situation I've ever been in in my career."
Severelli suggests it might be easier for the Flyers to "grin and bear it through the final year of Atkinson's deal and move on [because] it's so much cleaner from a cap perspective," adding that fans don't know what moves the Flyers are planning to make this offseason, which would dictate how they approach potentially buying out Atkinson.
The 35-year-old forward understood that the organization is moving in a younger direction, and seemed to have come to terms with the possibility of not being in Philadelphia for the 2024-25 season.
"[Head coach John Tortorella] was very honest in the beginning of the season, and so was management and the organization and the fans," Atkinson said. "[The message was] we were going younger and those guys will get more of an opportunity. I get it...it is what it is at at this point.
"I have one more year on my contract. I know the player I am and how I am and what's made the player I am today and what's gotten me to this level. I still feel like I have a lot of juice left in the tank for the right situation...I control what I can control."
Seravalli does acknowledge that Atkinson is "a well-liked teammate" and that if the Flyers do decide to see out the final year of this contract, he could have "a strong season [and] turn into trade fodder."
Although Atkinson looks to be a strong candidate for a buyout, there is yet to be confirmation from either party on what the final decision will be.
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