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Philadelphia Flyers: Couturier’s New Contract All About the Term

By Marc Naples

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Yesterday, Sean Couturier signed a new contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.  Not due for restricted free agency until next summer, the Flyers were proactive and extended Couturier for 6 more years at a cap hit of $4.33 million per season.  Couturier will play out one more year on his old contract, at a cap hit of $1.75 million.  He is now signed through 2022, when he will be 30 years old.

Any analysis of this contract has to start with a review of Couturier’s peers.  In this case, I would restrict such peers to players of his approximate age, draft status, and role.  Here’s a table I made of such peers.  All these players are centers, with the exception of Dougie Hamilton.

Given these comparables, the first decision the Philadelphia Flyers had to make with Couturier was term.  If the Flyers still were unsure about his career track, they could’ve let him play out this season, and then sign him to a short-term “bridge contract” like the ones Granlund, Schwartz, and Zibanejad are currently playing through.  This would’ve allowed more time for the player’s potential to reveal itself.

May 12, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban (76) skates past Tampa Bay Lightning center Valtteri Filppula (51) in game six of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated Montreal Canadiens 4-1 to win the series 4 games to 2. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Of course the risk with this path for the team is that a few good seasons by the player will lead to a much bigger contract with the player closer to unrestricted free agency status.  Ask Montreal how that 2-year bridge deal worked out for them and PK Subban’s now $72 million contract.  The Flyers also face a similar situation with Jake Voracek, who will likely receive upwards of $7.5 million in his next contract.

Clearly the Flyers decided that they had seen enough of Couturier and concluded that he is a safe long term investment.  His offensive potential in the NHL is still up in the air, but it appears the Flyers felt confident that, at worst, they would have a reliable 2/3 center under contract.

Having made the decision to sign a long term deal, the Philadelphia Flyers had to zero down on a dollar amount.  Referring back to table above, Couturier now must be viewed against the deals of Skinner, Bjugstad and Hamilton.  Couturier’s deal comes out much closer to Bjugstad than Hamilton.  It’s hard to complain about that.

Ultimately the Flyers are betting on a steady player in Sean Couturier.  $4.33 million may seem like a lot to pay a player who has yet to score 40 points in the NHL, but again, even in the worst case scenario, paying that amount for such a player in ~2020 as salaries continue to inflate wouldn’t be too bad a deal.

If Couturier has grown into anything remotely resembling a solid 2nd line center, the Flyers will have a cornerstone player locked up at a great cap hit

For long term contracts, you can’t truly judge them until you hit the second half of the deal.  In Couturier’s case, he doesn’t even hit the mid-point of the contract until the fall of 2019!  If Couturier has grown into anything remotely resembling a solid 2nd line center, the Flyers will have a cornerstone player locked up at a great cap hit.

As one final thought, it will be very revealing to see what the Flyers do with Brayden Schenn.  Schenn is also scheduled to be a restricted free agent next off-season.  Will the Flyers also decide to go long term with Schenn?  The answer will be very revealing to his standing in the organization.

Next: 2015-16 NHL Power Rankings

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