Flyers buy out last year of Cam Atkinson's deal for cap space

Veteran winger Cam Atkinson will be available when free agency starts Monday, as the Philadelphia Flyers announced Friday that they have bought out the last year of his contract.

Creating additional salary cap space was one of the Flyers' biggest priorities going into free agency. CapFriendly's data showed that the Flyers came into the day with $803,572 in cap space.

Although the Flyers have most of their roster under contract for next season, they required extra space. The team had $5.238 million in dead space because of decisions made last offseason. They retained 50% of Kevin Hayes ' contract in a trade with the St. Louis Blues , and the remaining $1.66 million in dead space comes from buying out Tony DeAngelo .

Buying out 35-year-old Atkinson, who was in the final season of a seven-year contract worth $5.875 million annually, means the Flyers are now projected to have $4.320 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly. It'll cost the Flyers $2.358 million in cap space for 2024-25 while counting for $1.758 million against their cap in 2025-26 because of the two-year buyout length.

"When it comes to someone with the accomplishments and character of Cam, this was an exceptionally tough decision," Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said in a statement. "Throughout his time with the Flyers, Cam has displayed an incredible work ethic and level of professionalism that is a true credit to him as a player and a person."

A two-time All-Star, Atkinson was traded to the Flyers in 2021 in a deal that saw winger Jakub Voracek go to the Columbus Blue Jackets . Atkinson had 23 goals, his seventh 20-goal campaign, and 50 points in 73 games for the Flyers that season.

He missed the 2022-23 season while recovering from herniated disk surgery, then returned this past season, finishing with 13 goals and 28 points in 70 games. It was his least productive season in which he played more than 56 games.