The Philadelphia Flyers have locked up a key piece to their team’s success. Sean Couturier was signed to a massive eight-year, $62 million deal, breaking down to an average of $7.75 million per year.
OFFICIAL: COOTS, THERE IT IS! 📃✍️ https://t.co/JplnEOfxa8
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) August 26, 2021
Sean Couturier Signed to Long-Term Extension
Signing Couturier to this length of a deal is a massive win for the Flyers. The 28-year-old has spent all 10 seasons in Philadelphia and has proved his worth every year. Last season, he played 45 games, racking up 41 points (18 goals and 23 assists). This was on pace for him, just under a point per game player. However, he doesn’t just excel in the offensive category – his two-way game is one of the best in the league. Since the 2014-15 season, he has never had a negative Relative Corsi nor a Corsi For percentage below 52%. Last season, he continued putting up ridiculous numbers: a 59.7% Corsi For and an 8.7 Relative Corsi. But the numbers aren’t all, he’s also got the hardware to back it up. A two-time Selke Trophy finalist and a winner in the 2019-20 season, Couturier is certainly one of the best two-way centers in the league.
How This Affects Philadelphia
While having Sean Couturier signed to this deal is great news for the on-ice performance of the team, the cap space certainly took a massive hit. Signing the exact same deal as Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov, there are some questions as to whether Couturier deserved this much money. The Flyers currently have under $400,000 in cap space and have seven UFA’s at the end of this season, including their captain Claude Giroux, along with their other recent acquisitions. They also have four RFA’s to sign as well. Looking to the future, this deal might force the Flyers to let go of some valuable players in order to keep under the cap space. But if Couturier keeps playing like this for the full eight years, it might not even matter.
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