Good riddance.
Avalanche Finally Escaped the Ryan Johansen Nightmare — But Is Closure Really Here?
Posted August 25, 2025
Or will the ghosts of the transaction keep haunting the Colorado Avalanche?
The Colorado Avalanche have faced sustained criticism in recent seasons for executing unpopular trades—moves such as the departures of Mikko Rantanen and Bowen Byram stand out. However, the trade of Ryan Johansen definitely carries some mixed feelings.
In March 2024, the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Ryan Johansen from the Colorado Avalanche, along with a first-round draft pick, in exchange for defenseman Sean Walker. Yet the transaction quickly unraveled. After the Flyers attempted to assign Johansen to their AHL affiliate, he professed an injury and refused to report, effectively sidelining himself for the remainder of the season. Philadelphia subsequently terminated his contract over the summer, contending that Johansen’s claimed injury was insincere—a claim bolstered by the fact that he had played every single game for the Avalanche that season. Johansen also had scored twice against the Vancouver Canucks in a 3‑1 Avalanche victory a week prior to the transaction as well.
Complicating matters further, Johansen, whose tenure with prior teammates had reportedly been strained, filed a grievance against the Flyers, challenging the contract termination in court. The arbitrator ultimately ruled against him, leaving Johansen not only without millions in expected earnings but also with a professional future rendered increasingly uncertain.
A month after acquiring Ryan Johansen, Flyers general manager Daniel Brière told Philly Hockey Now that he did not expect the veteran forward to play a single game for the club.
“All I can tell you is I don’t expect him to be back,” Brière said. “I don’t know exactly the situation. We’re dealing with him on the medical side. The thing for him is getting him back to be able to play at this time. He doesn’t think he can play hockey. I wish I had a better answer for you. We need to get him better to figure out if there’s even a remote chance of him dressing for the organization.”
Some critics have framed the episode as a failure of the Avalanche front office—if, of course, one accepts the prevailing narrative at face value. For context, Johansen was on the ice for morning skate the very day he was traded, showing no outward signs of injury. Interpret that as you will.
The sting for Colorado was compounded by the fact that the deal required surrendering a first-round draft pick for what amounted to a rental—a move that eventually set the stage for the Byram-for-Mittelstadt trade, a transaction that landed with all the grace of Carey Hart at the 2001 X Games. Had the Avalanche tried to waive Johansen would he have claimed injury then just the same?
In retrospect, if Johansen’s saga in Philadelphia truly stemmed from resistance to an AHL demotion, there is little reason to believe Colorado would have fared any better had they attempted the same maneuver. It was an unfortunate and messy chapter, but one the organization is now free from. As for whether the Avalanche have continued to make questionable trades—regrettably, yes. But a new season brings new possibilities, and perhaps even, for the optimists among us, a reason to hope.
