June 24, 2019
Between the draft and their flurry of moves leading up to it, the Flyers have been quite busy later — but with NHL free agency on the horizon, Chuck Fletcher and Co. might just be getting started.
In addition to signing any outside free agents, the Flyers also have decisions to make on several key restricted free agents, players who are up for a new contract, but are under Philadelphia control with the Flyers retaining the rights to match any other offers.
The team headed into the offseason with six restricted free agents, and took care of the first one on Monday, announcing that they've come to an agreement on a two-year deal with young defenseman Travis Sanheim. The deal, which is worth $6.5 million in total, will carry an average annual cap hit of $3.25 million.
"We are very pleased with the progress Travis has made in his young career," Fletcher said in a team press release. "He is a skilled, two-way defenseman with excellent size and mobility. He is a big part of our present and our future."
Sanheim, 23, played in all 82 games for the Flyers during 2018-19, his second season with the club, and recorded 35 points (9 goals, 26 assists) while averaging 19:34 of ice time, nearly four minutes better than his rookie season. In his Flyers career, Sanheim has appeared in 131 games and totaled 45 points (11 goals, 34 assists).
“I’m obviously really excited,” Sanheim said. “It’s a big step in my career. I’m looking forward to another two years with the Flyers. I’m really excited with the way the team’s moving forward and the moves we’ve made this summer.”
As we mentioned, Fletcher still has decisions to make this offseason. According to CapFriendly.com, the Flyers have just over $18 million in cap space for the upcoming season, and in addition to signing Sanheim, they also have those five remaining RFAs to sign:
• Travis Konecny, F
• Ivan Provorov, D.
• Scott Laughton, F
• Ryan Hartman, F
• Justin Bailey, F
Provorov, unlike Sanheim, is reportedly looking to sign a long-term deal with the Flyers that could pay him in the range of $8 million per year. In his latest mailbag, published Monday morning, Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post guessed that Provorov's deal will be six years with an annual value of $7 million.
On top of that, the Flyers still need to sign a backup goalie to play behind Carter Hart, as well as find room for any other moves Fletcher decides to make.
Stay tuned, it could be a busy week...
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