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Flyers Sign Joel Farabee to Six-Year Contract Extension

By Colin Newby

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 11: Joel Farabee #86 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against the Washington Capitals in the first period at Wells Fargo Center on March 11, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 11: Joel Farabee #86 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against the Washington Capitals in the first period at Wells Fargo Center on March 11, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /
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The Flyers have signed Joel Farabee to a six-year contract worth an average annual value of $5 million, according to the team’s official website. Farabee will play the 2021-22 season on his entry-level contract with a $925,000 cap hit.

The 21-year-old left-winger had a breakout season in 2020-21. He hit the 20-goal mark with a pair of tallies in the final game of the season, which broke the tie with Sean Couturier and secured him with the team lead.

Farabee found tremendous chemistry with Couturier and James van Riemsdyk early in the season on what was considered the Flyers top line. Head coach Alain Vigneault will undoubtedly shuffle the lineup throughout the 2021-22 season, but the three would be a logical choice to start training camp together.

He made another memory with his tilt with his much-maligned former teammate Mark Friedman in a heated late-season rivalry game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Farabee is part of a recent influx of American-born Flyers to the roster. The New York native played at Boston University the first year after being drafted 14th overall in 2018 and has starred for Team USA in international competition throughout his hockey career.

During his first NHL season in 2019-20, Farabee finished with eight goals and 13 assists in 52 games. He was in and out of the Flyers lineup during the Eastern Conference playoffs in the Toronto bubble. He struggled to adjust to the physical style of the NHL at times during his rookie year, but he showed significant improvement in that realm in 2020-21. He was the recipient of the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy as the overall most improved player on the team.

The Flyers will be tight against the NHL’s flat salary cap, set at $81.5 million, this year. Like the recent extension given to Couturier, this extension will not affect their salary cap number during the 2021-22 season.

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