Shayne Gostisbehere will be a Philadelphia Flyer for a while. Until 2023, to be precise.
The defenseman, who was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, has signed what the Flyers are called a “multi-year” deal. CSN reports that it’s a six year deal worth $4.5 million against the salary cap per year. That’s $27 million in total.
That is a very good deal for the Flyers, and Ron Hextall told the media that he achieved some “cost certainty” with it. He sure did. It’ll carry Ghost through age 30.
“It’s a dream come true to be part of one of the best organizations in hockey,” Gostisbehere said in a team press release. “With everything that’s going on here – we’ve got some young guys coming up and we’ve already got some key pieces – it’s nice to know you’re part of the future and part of the plans. There’s many more steps to come and hopefully it leads to some great things. It’s a tremendous honor to realize you’re part of the future.”
The Flyers were going to protect Ghost in the expansion draft whether they signed him to a new deal in time or not, but this does prevent teams from sending him an offer sheet this summer. That’s a relief.
Gostisbehere earned $925,000 against the salary cap on his entry-level deal, which started in 2014-15 and expired following the 2016-17 season.
