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The Flyers Officially Say Goodbye to R.J. Umberger, Again
By Jim Adair
Published:
The first farewell was a trade eight years ago, but the Flyers are again bidding adieu to R.J. Umberger – this time via the unceremonious buyout. Umberger returned to the Flyers in the Hartnell trade (Hextall’s first move as GM). Buying out Umberger not only frees up a spot on the team, but it helps the Flyers financially:
The veteran winger had a $4.6 million cap hit for 2016-17. Because of the buyout formula, the Flyers will have a $3 million cap-hit savings on his contract this season.
The Flyers will absorb a $1.6 million cap hit for Umberger this season; they will also be saddled with a $1.5 million cap hit in 2017-18.
It’s really a win-win-win. You get a little bit of cap flexibility, you free up a spot on the team, and you no longer have R.J. Umberger here. For an aging player who isn’t really contributing and costing you money, it’s a no-brainer, Matt Klentak.
When he's not writing about sports here or ranting about them on Twitter, Jim is probably watching X-Files on Netflix or drinking a beer somewhere. Jim has nothing against hockey, it's just not his style. He once met Duce Staley at a Sixers game.