It's probably not everyday that someone walks away from what would be millions of dollars in guaranteed money, but today that is exactly what former National Hockey League defenseman Matt Niskanen has done.
I say former NHL defenseman because on Monday Niskanen informed both the Philadelphia Flyers and his teammates within that organization that he had made the decision to retire from professional hockey at the age of 33. It is a decision that I do not believe anyone had seen coming and in fact according to a report from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, the Flyers double checked with Niskanen today to be certain that he was moving forward with this decision, a decision that will now have massive implications for the Flyers organization.
While fans will no doubt be sad to see him go there is no denying the fact that this has now opened up a window to some big time opportunities for the Flyers who will save almost $6 million against the cap as a result of this decision. Niskanen was in the final year of what was a 7 year contract, and would have counted against the cap for $5.75 million this season, a cap hit that has now been completely taken off the books for the Flyers organization. Losing one of his defensemen, especially one with a role on the penalty kill, will of course present Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher with a problem he must solve, but with the draft coming up and with cap space suddenly clearing up on his roster he will be in a perfect position to address that issue. The Flyers could in theory now even make a splash in free agency, something that previously seemed relatively unlikely given their cap constraints for next season.
Niskanen can hold his head high and in fact I think many will applaud him for having the courage to make what had to be a very difficult decision. Niskanen, a first round (28th overall) pick of the Dallas Stars in 2005 played in 949 regular season games during his NHL career and recorded 72 goals and 284 assists for a combined total of 356 career points. His crowning achievement however will no doubt be the Stanley Cup he captured with the Washington Capitals in 2018, a championship that he will be remembered fondly for in that city for many years to come.
