Flyers' Niskanen retires at age 33
Defenseman Matt Niskanen informed the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday that he's retiring from hockey at 33 years old, general manager Chuck Fletcher confirmed, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi.
"Thank you to the Flyers organization for the opportunity to play in Philly last season," Niskanen said in a statement, according to Carchidi. "I'd also like to thank the fans for their support and lastly, I wish my teammates the best of luck."
There's one season remaining on Niskanen's contract with a cap hit of $5.75 million. Once his retirement is made official, he'll forfeit the money owed to him, and his cap hit will also come off the books, according to CapFriendly.
He appeared in 68 games last season, scoring eight goals while adding 25 assists. The veteran also played in 15 postseason games.
The Dallas Stars selected Niskanen 28th overall in 2005. He spent four seasons with the Stars, four with the Pittsburgh Penguins, five with the Washington Capitals, and one with the Flyers. He won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.
Niskanen has appeared in 949 career games, racking up 72 goals and 284 assists.