The Michael Raffl era has ended.
Raff played 504 regular season games for the Philadelphia Flyers, plus another 28 playoff games, amassing 86 goals and 168 points during his eight seasons in orange and black.
Signing as a free agent with Philly in May 2013, Raffl became a lineup staple as a 26-year-old sophomore, being entrusted to play alongside Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek for much of 2014-15 when he potted 21 goals (18 at even strength).
But Raffl’s true talent was a productive, dependable bottom-of-the-lineup player and he was fine in that role, but after eight seasons and five coaches, it became clear that it was time to cash in the chips on the 32-year-old winger after four contracts.
Erik Gustafsson just stunk and lost his spot on a Flyers blue line completely devoid of talent. That’s how bad he was.
Scott Laughton signed an extension on deadline day worth $15 million over the next five years.
At a $3 million cap hit, Laughton, who turns 27 on May 30, provides lineup flexibility and versatility.
But on a team that desperately needs cap space and a culture change, was it really worth it to re-up Laughton long-term heading into an offseason where major moves will be necessary to transition this team back into a championship contender?
I guess time will tell.
But without the benefit of time, let’s see what the BSH Radio listeners have to say about the team’s moves on Deadline Day.
Here’s a podcast.
