True, but it's still just cap space.
If the Flyers were at a point at which they needed space because UFA1 is coming out, then that's one thing. But that's not where they are.
After next season they drop Atkinson, Johansen, and Petersen. They also get TDA's buyout space back. That's $15M right off the top.
I'm not "happy" with the contract. I just don't see it as a harbinger of doom.