Colorado Avalanche Feature Stories: Chris MacFarland is a genius for the Ryan Johansen trade

Chris MacFarland proved to be a genius in the Ryan Johansen trade.

After a solid start, the experienced center, who was signed by the Nashville Predators last June in exchange for backup striker Alex Galchenyuk, quickly stumbled.

Literally.

The experiment obviously failed and so the Colorado Avalanche sold Johansen to the Philadelphia Flyers in March in exchange for Sean Walker and a conditional first-round pick.

It may not have been intended as a scam, but that’s exactly what it was. Johansen, 31, claimed to be injured when he arrived in Philadelphia. He’s never worn a Flyers uniform and his career is likely over. Additionally, Flyers officials were unaware that Johansen was battling an injury. The Avalanche were likely in the dark, too.

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere provided a grim update on Johansen on April 19.

“All I can tell you is that I don’t expect him to come back,” Briere told Philly Hockey Now. “I don’t know the exact situation. We’re dealing with his medical situation. For him, it’s about getting him back to playing condition. He doesn’t think he can play hockey. I wish I had a better answer for you. We need to get him back to being healthy to find out if there’s even a chance he’ll be able to compete for the organization.”

The details of Johansen’s injury were initially a secret until it was revealed that the 31-year-old was suffering from a hip injury. Additionally, the former No. 4 pick in Colorado was rumored to be difficult to handle, and that was the case when he was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Looking back, things couldn’t have worked out better for the Avalanche. The decision to trade Johansen allowed them to sign Casey Middelstadt, a significant addition to the center position, which also allowed Colorado to extend Middlestadt’s contract on Tuesday. The 25-year-old signed a three-year contract extension to stay in the Mile High City, securing the talented 2C for $5.75 million per season, a relatively team-friendly sum in today’s market.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, must continue to commit to Johansen, who is entering the final season of an eight-year, $64 million ($8 million AAV) contract he signed with the Predators in July 2017. After that, he can become an unrestricted free agent, but it’s unlikely that a team will sign him.

As for the Avalanche, they can now focus on building their team for next season, even though they had to shell out a first-round pick to get rid of Johansen.