Kate Frese/Flyerdelphia
It's a move everyone could see coming, even the player himself.
The NHL’s compliance buyout period opened on Wednesday and the Flyers are in the process of buying out R.J. Umberger’s contract, GM Ron Hextall announced on Thursday.
Umberger was in the midst of a five-year, $23 million contract and had three seasons remaining, when he rejoined the Flyers prior to the 2014-15 season. With a $4.6 million cap hit, the Flyers are saving $3 million in cap space by making the move. The cap hit for the buyout is $1.6 million in what is Umberger’s final season under contract.
"I expect one," Umberger said at the team's exit interviews in late April. "Who wouldn’t after my season? That’s something up to them, their decision. Business side of it, you can’t control that."
Umberger rejoined the Flyers in a trade that sent Scott Hartnell to Columbus. Upon his return, the Flyer that scored 20 goals in his rookie season and had seven straight season of double-digits goals, including four straight years in Columbus with 20-plus goals, displayed underwhelming results.
In the 2014-15 season, Umberger scored nine goals and added six assists for 15 points in 67 games. In the 2015-16 season, Umberger became a non-factor, playing just 39 games and scoring two goals and nine assists for 11 points. His last two seasons with the Flyers were the two lowest-scoring seasons of his career.
Thus ends Umberger’s career in Philadelphia. The 34-year-old forward played his first three seasons in the NHL with the Flyers, combining for 49 goals and 67 assists for 116 points in 228 games. He also scored 11 goals and added five assists for 16 points in 22 playoff games over that time.
In total, Umberger played 334 games for the Flyers, scoring 60 goals and adding 82 assists for 102 points.
The Flyers will look to use the $3 million in cap space over the next couple of weeks, as they focus on re-signing players leading up to the NHL Draft next weekend and free agency starting on July 1.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
