According to the team’s website, the Philadelphia Flyers have re-signed left winger Michael Raffl to a contract extension. The Austrian forward will be here for another two seasons with an average annual value of $1.6 million. From the team’s website:
The Philadelphia Flyers have re-signed left wing Michael Raffl to a two-year contract extension through the 2020-21 season worth an average annual value (AAV) of $1.6 million, according to Executive Vice President & General Manager Chuck Fletcher.
”We’re happy to have Michael for the next two years,” Fletcher said. “Throughout his six seasons with the Flyers he has played a pivotal role in a variety of positions and situations. His versatility, experience and work ethic will be valuable assets to our team going forward.”
Raffl has six goals on 59 shots this season for a 10.2 shooting percentage along with 12 assists. He also has 28 penalty minutes, 92 hits, and 26 takeaways while averaging 11:38 time on ice a game (mainly at 5-on-5) in his 61 contests this season. He unfortunately opened the season on a 20-game goal drought and is currently on a six-game goal drought.
Considering his point totals over the last few seasons and the fact Fletcher had been trading away other bottom-six forwards on the team, it’s a little bit surprising Raffl has been given an extension. He missed a decent amount of time due to a knee injury this season, is having an underwhelming season in terms of underlying numbers, and has just 18 points in 61 games, but Fletcher evidently feels that Raffl’s versatility outweighs all these trends.
It may not make a certain segment of the fanbase happy, but Raffl’s return isn’t exactly the worst news. No, he isn’t a high-end forward that will wow you with elusive moves in the offensive zone. He is, however, a player you are happy with if he is on your fourth line and pitching in 10-15 goals a season. The problem is throughout Raffl’s entire tenure here the Flyers have never had enough forward depth to where Raffl is the 11th or 12th forward. With the cap going up each year and a drop in his cap hit of $750,000, perhaps those who feel as though players like Raffl are the reasons why the Flyers have struggled over the last few seasons won’t be as critical.
