Breaking: Flyers terminate high priced veteran's contract for 'material breach'

This just in, the Philadelphia Flyers have placed veteran forward Ryan Johansen on waivers for the purpose of contract termination.

The Flyers have not confirmed what it was that Johansen did to have his contract terminated, only calling it a 'material breach.' If Johansen clears waivers tomorrow then his $8 million annual contract will be torn up and the Flyers will be off the hook for his $4 million cap hit.

From the Flyers:

Craaaazy! 

The last time I can recall a player being cut loose for a 'material breach' was when the Los Angeles Kings terminated the contract of forward Mike Richards back in 2015. Richards was under RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) for allegedly smuggling prescription drugs across the Canadian/American border. He ended up appealing the Kings' contract termination and settled without disclosing terms to the public.

If you're wondering what constitutes a 'material breach', there's this description from the NHLPA:

 “fail, refuse, or neglect to obey the Club's rules governing training and conduct of Players, if such failure, refusal or neglect should constitute a material breach of this Standard Player Contract (SPC), or should the player, “fail, refuse or neglect to render his services hereunder or in any other manner materially breach this SPC.” However, it’s uncertain whether those reasons apply in Richards’ case.

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Again, no details from the team or from any NHL insiders just yet, but you know for certain that we'll get to the bottom of this controversy before the 2024-25 NHL season begins.