Flyers, Raffl Agree to Contract Extension

The Philadelphia Flyers and forward Michael Raffl have agreed to a three year extension worth $7.05 million with a cap hit of $2.35 million per season.

In 61 games played this season, Raffl had eight goals, nine assists, 17 points, is a plus five and averages 14:18 of ice time per game. He has 18 penalty minutes, 106 hits, 26 takeaways and 17 giveaways. The eight goals rank eighth on the Flyers current roster, and his nine assists rank 10th on the team. Only eight of his teammates have more points than him (17), and his plus five is fourth best among his teammates. Raffl has one power play goal this season to go with two game-winning goals.

Raffl has 38 goals, 29 assists, 67 points and is a plus 13 in 196 NHL games played. He has three power play goals, one shorthanded goal and seven game-winning goals in his career while averaging 13:49 of ice time per game. He has 391 hits, 118 blocks, 72 takeaways and 56 giveaways in his three seasons in the NHL. Raffl can play at even strength, on the power play or on the penalty kill. He has played some on the power play this season, but isn’t a regular on the penalty kill this season.

The forward has decent size and doesn’t shy away from contact, whether he is looking to finish his check or he’s getting hit going to the crease area looking for a loose puck. Raffl is usually in good position in all three zones, which would explain why he has more takeaways than giveaways. He has good instincts and is willing to go to the crease area to score goals. He has shown the potential to be strong on the puck and win the board battles along the wall. The forward does need to prove that he can produce consistently in the NHL and be a force in the offensive zone.

Raffl is a versatile player that can play down the middle or on the wing. He has won 122 faceoffs and lost 138 for a 46.9 faceoff win percentage during his career, which isn’t bad for a guy that is flipping between the center and the wing position. The forward is a solid two-way player. On any given night, Raffl could be playing anywhere in the lineup from the top line to the third line. As of late, Raffl has been a steady second line winger, but that could change at any given moment. He can be used on either the power play or as an emergency fill in on the penalty kill.

He has struggled this season producing points consistently, but that could have been because he was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season before he signed the extension. He started the season on the top line with Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek, but has been playing on either the second or third line for a majority of the season. There were also trade rumors going around that he could be traded before the deadline.

Hopefully with the contract extension and trade rumors out of the way, Raffl can just go on the ice, play his game and produce consistently for the rest of the season.