Wayne Simmonds agrees to 6-year deal with Flyers, indirectly agrees to inevitable trade
After Jeff Carter and Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, you'd figure players would be wary about signing long-term deals with the Philadelphia Flyers. Unless, of course, they've got a cousin who works for U-Haul and can get them a discount on relocation fees.
Despite that contractual kiss of death, Wayne Simmonds has agreed to a six-year, $23.875 million extension with the Flyers that takes him through 2019. From Andy Strickland of True Hockey:
According to my calculations the exact AAV is $3.97917. The deal won't kick in until the 2013-2014 season as Simmonds has one year remaining on his current deal. He's due to earn $1.75 million this season.
Simmonds was set to become an RFA in Summer 2013, and presumably wanted to get this contract in under the CBA wire. It also gets him a deal before the Flyers have to commit dollars to Scott Hartnell (UFA, 2013) and Claude Giroux (RFA, 2014).
After coming over in the Mike Richards trade, Simmonds scored 49 points in 82 games with the Flyers, which was a career best. He scored goals with his bloody face and played the role of enforcer when necessary.
He was also a lightning rod for controversy at times, both the target of a racist incident (a banana peel thrown on the ice) and allegedly making a homophobic remark to Sean Avery.
Simmonds will be 24 on Aug. 26. He has upside as a power forward in this League, and should continue to earn more ice time next season. From that aspect, good on the Flyers to lock him up.
But again: Ask the projected top-line center of the Toronto Maple Leafs what kind of job security a long-term deal with Paul Holmgren gets you.
