Flyers sign center Sean Couturier to long-term contract

Voracek, meanwhile, will likely cash in with a big extension before he hits the UFA market after the 2015-16 season.

General manager Ron Hextall decided to extend Couturier with a six-year, $26 million contract that will keep him in the orange and black through 2021-22.

The two forwards are on similar trajectories in their career and are both in their early 20’s.

The message is clear: The Flyers really value what Couturier brings to the team and they suspect he’s only going to get better.

“It [the contract] is a nice boost of confidence, for sure, ” he said. It was either his swing coach or his agent, because Voracek suddenly became a little agitated.

Of course, this is the final season of a four year deal for Voracek, during which he made a cap hit of $4.25 million – so fans will expect to see his production maintain itself next year, if not improve a bit, in order to justify such a hefty deal.

He’s already a great defensive center, who expanded his offensive game this past season recording a career-high 15 goals and 22 assists.

Couturier appeared in all 82 games for the second consecutive season and has appeared in 287 out of a possible 294 National Hockey League games.

He hasn’t always been consistent, though, in finding the back of the net.

“They believe in me and I’m really happy to be there for the next six years”, said the 6-3 and getting heavier Couturier.

But even his 20-goal season in 2013-14 came with a 16-game scoring drought.

“It’s been one year”, Voracek said on April 16. It’s not like there’s a ton of money to fly around anyway, unless Hextall can make some moves.

The other major part of the Flyers’ return for Carter was a top-10 pick that the team used to select forward Sean Couturier.

Unlike Couturier, Schenn might not have a long-term future in Philadelphia. “I think we can do a lot of good stuff with Dave and hopefully we can prove that this year”. But it’s not something that we’ll actively pursue. If that happens, this contract could look very good in a couple of years after considering Couturier’s age.

Or not at all.