Flyers sign center Sean Couturier to a long-term contract

The writing had been on the wall for a while.

Center Sean Couturier signed a multiyear contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-3 center, who was born in Phoenix but plays on the Canadian national team, was the first-round pick by the Flyers in the 2011 draft or eighth overall selection and is known as the primary defensive specialist in Philadelphia. “I think we can do a lot of good stuff with Dave Hakstol, and hopefully we can prove that this year”. His usual right winger, Matt Read, also had a down year, partially because he tried to play through a high ankle sprain early in the season.

The player said contract negotiations had been in the works for some time.

With the gold-medal winning Team Canada in May’s IIHF World Championship in Prague, Couturier had seven points in 10 games.

“Not really. I’ve been playing 18 minutes a game the last two years”, Couturier said. “We’ll see the situations I’m put in”. “Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do my best at the role they give me”. “Just whatever I can do to help the team win”.

“They believe in me, ” Couturier said during a late afternoon media conference call. “Well prepared, has a vision of what he wants, how he wants the game played”. Playing a bigger role in scoring should meet that criterion. Talks between the Flyers and Couturier’s agent Gilles Lupien started recently and picked up quick. It ties him down long-term, as he said was the wish of both sides.

Length of contract and financial terms were not disclosed, according to multiple reports, Couturier received a six-year deal, worth $26 million, an average annual value of $4.33 million per season. He’s now under wraps until 2022. It’s possible that the Flyers could have used those offensive arguments against him in negotiating this new deal to a favorable, team-friendly outcome.

“It’s a nice boost of confidence for sure”, Couturier said. “I’m really looking to coming to camp and taking another step forward”.

The $4.33 million question is how much former head coach Craig Berube’s deployment of the young center – Couturier played on the third line with an ineffective R.J. I’m going to be the same type of player, just try to definitely produce a little more offensively.