Defenceman Travis Sanheim has been re-signed by the Philadelphia Flyers to a two-year contract worth $4.675 million annually. The deal helps both sides avoid arbitration and carries Sanheim through the 2022-23 season.
OFFICIAL: @sanheim17 signs a two-year deal! https://t.co/C4YaJDHa8y
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) August 21, 2021
Travis Sanheim Re-Signed by the Flyers
Entering the 2020-21 season, Sanheim was expected to be a top candidate to fill the gap left by Matt Niskanen’s retirement. Ultimately, though, the transition from his natural left side to Ivan Provorov’s right didn’t end up being feasible. Still, Sanheim continued to play an integral role as a top-four defenceman. After Provorov, he was the team’s most relied-upon blueliner, averaging around 22 minutes of ice time.
Statistically, however, Sanheim didn’t have a great season. In 55 games, he recorded three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 55 games to go along with 23 penalty minutes. Sanheim’s possession numbers were 51.0 percent Corsi with a relative Corsi of -1.9.
Over the entirety of his four-year NHL career, Sanheim has remained with the Philadelphia Flyers organization. He has 22 goals and 63 assists for a total of 85 points through 255 career games. He was originally drafted by the Flyers in the first round, 17th overall in the 2014 NHL draft.
What This Means for the Future
This season, the Flyers’ defence was one of the worst in the league. They allowed the most goals of any NHL team and finished above only the New Jersey Devils in penalty kill percentage. As a result, the team’s primary goal over this offseason will be fixing the blue line.
Sanheim, despite being a part of that dismal display in 2020-21, remains an important part of that puzzle. He was among the best defencemen the Flyers had at their disposal last season and the team leaned heavily on him. What’s more, at 25 years old, he is arguably entering the prime of his career. As such, re-signing Sanheim will likely turn out to be a wise decision in the long run. While he may not be ready for a top-pairing role just yet, he’ll still be an important pillar in the team’s defence going forward.
