The Philadelphia Flyers had a busy day today. Not only did the Philadelphia Flyers trade fan favorite Scott Hartnell to the Columbus Blue Jackets for R.J. Umberger and a fourth round pick, they also agreed to a two-year extension with 22-year-old center Brayden Schenn.
The two-year extension is worth $5 million. Brayden Schenn will make $2.25 million in 2014-2015, and $2.75 million in 2015-2016. Both seasons, his cap hit will be $2.5 million.
Schenn has steadily improved in each of his three seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers after being traded to the Flyers from the Los Angeles Kings via the infamous Mike Richards trade. His point totals the past three seasons:
2011-2012: 18 points (12 goals, 6 assists) in 54 games
2013: 26 points (8 goals, 18 assists) in 47 games
2013-2014: 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) in 82 games
I think that Schenn’s zone start percentage was 54.9% in 2013-2014 probably had something to do with the increase in his points, but still, he’s showing very steady improvement, which is something the Philadelphia Flyers have to be happy about. 41 points is impressive from a guy who averaged just over 15 minutes of ice time per game.
On the other hand, the Flyers should be concerned with his possession numbers. I expected Schenn’s Corsi and Fenwick stats to be high since he has so many offensive zone starts. That wasn’t the case. His 47.9% Corsi and 47.5% Fenwick tells us that the Flyers were out-shot whenever Schenn was on the ice. That must improve.
Overall, $2.5 million for Schenn is a pretty nice deal for the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s an average second line center who has the potential to be one of the better second line centers in the league. Once you factor in the role that Schenn plays on power plays, and $2.5 million is a steal for Schenn. If he continues to improve, Schenn could be a terrific value at $2.5 million.
The Flyers might have made a questionable move in trading Hartnell, but they made a very smart one in locking up Schenn, even if it is just for two years.
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