The Pittsburgh Penguins gave the NHL a shocking deal that was all we could talk about because… well… it’s August. Kyle Dubas signed Ville Koivunen to an eight-year deal worth $32 million. Such a long deal for a young player with very little NHL experience is what makes it truly shocking, but many pointed out that the smart bet came with the possible buyout, which would drop his cap hit to below $1 million if it happens at a certain point in the contract.
While all this was happening, the Philadelphia Flyers made their own bet on a young player. The Flyers signed 23-year-old Nikita Grebenkin to a two-year deal worth a total of $2.2 million. It was the same kind of bet the Penguins made, just with about 1% of the risk.
Danny Briere makes a quality bet in signing Nikita Grebenkin to a two-year deal
This is the type of move Danny Briere should be making when his roster is in the shape that it’s currently in. The Flyers are stacked with young talent, like established names Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras, and Sean Couturier, up-and-comers like Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett, and the next generation of (hopefully) superstars, like Porter Malone, David Jiricek, and Oliver Bonk.
A guy like Grebenkin can fit in where the Flyers need him, while these superstars develop. He can hold down that fourth-line role by playing a smart role in this lineup. His counting statistics leave a little bit to be desired, as he was on the ice at 5v5 for 19 goals and 25 goals against, but his on-ice save percentage was under .900, and his on-ice shooting percentage was below 9%. He suffered some bad luck, so this is a good bet that a little better luck should increase his counting stats.
Solidifying the bottom six is just as important in today’s NHL. All four lines have to be quality if you want to be a contender, and buying in on 23-year-olds with NHL experience is a good bet to make.
He has to make better decisions on the defensive end, especially if he's going to live on the fourth line. Rick Tocchet has to trust him on a nightly basis, but even if this doesn't work out at all, the Flyers could fully bury this contract in the NHL without any hit on the salary cap.
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