Where does it take him with his RFA status., that is the big thing with this deal.
- coffee junkie

He should still be an RFA at the end of the deal.

Where does it take him with his RFA status., that is the big thing with this deal.
- coffee junkie

he'll be what, 23 when the deal runs out? no way that's already into ufa (even though i can't recite the rule off hand)

He should still be an RFA at the end of the deal.
- Tomahawk

Absurdly good signing by Homer then. Blackmail?

Why would Coots sign that? Worth at least 2.5 or 3.

Mason first and foremost is going to make the biggest difference getting out of our own end. Streit didn't need to be a timonen replacement. He's more a Mez replacement. An Expensive one yes. The kimmo replacement will come next summer
- Just5

Streit isn't even a Mez replacement on the defensive side, though, and that's why it doesn't make much sense for them to add him and now be looking to salary-dump Mez when d-zone play was their Achilles heel last season.

Mason's puck-handling will be handy, but jury's still out whether he's even an upgrade over Bryz in terms of stopping the puck. If he's not, Emery had better be as good as he was last year, or the Flyers will be in trouble.

seems everyone loves this deal....


Travis Yost
@TravisHeHateMe
Man, that's a fantastic move by Philadelphia to get Couturier at $1.75MM AAV through 2016.

Absurdly good signing by Homer then. Blackmail?

Why would Coots sign that? Worth at least 2.5 or 3.
- coffee junkie

The guaranteed portion of his salary more than doubled, so it's not like he's not getting a bump in pay. The timing is a bit funny for him though... you'd think his agent would have held out until after he bounced back offensively, instead of rushing to the table. Maybe Couts doesn't want to give Homer any reason to trade him until he's had a chance to pull a PK Subban?

The guaranteed portion of his salary more than doubled, so it's not like he's not getting a bump in pay. The timing is a bit funny for him though... you'd think his agent would have held out until after he bounced back offensively, instead of rushing to the table. Maybe Couts doesn't want to give Homer any reason to trade him until he's had a chance to pull a PK Subban?
- Tomahawk

jets wouldn't trade bogo for him unless he was signed

randy miller getting hammered on XM for his unprofessionalism post bryz CBO. well deserved...

seems everyone loves this deal....


Travis Yost
@TravisHeHateMe
Man, that's a fantastic move by Philadelphia to get Couturier at $1.75MM AAV through 2016.
- opeth_pa

What did I miss??

What did I miss??
- dingo8urbaby

Weber to Philly

Weber to Philly
- jmatchett383

A joke becomes less funny when you hear the same one every day

Added my take on Couturier deal to today's blog.

Absurdly good signing by Homer then. Blackmail?

Why would Coots sign that? Worth at least 2.5 or 3.
- coffee junkie

He signed it because he's getting a raise, is unlikely to get an offer-sheet elsewhere and will be in position to make a huge raise if he blossoms offensively by the time he's up for renegotiation again in 2015.

nice cooty signing, that will extinguish his name in trade rumors a few weeks...now it will be schenn+read+laughton+coburn for either ap or sw

randy miller getting hammered on XM for his unprofessionalism post bryz CBO. well deserved...
- isaiah520

I consider Randy a friend, so I will say this: He's actually a real good guy, good writer and very passionate about his job. His biggest flaw is that he gets too emotional and sometimes his temper gets the best of him.

I consider Randy a friend, so I will say this: He's actually a real good guy, good writer and very passionate about his job. His biggest flaw is that he gets too emotional and sometimes his temper gets the best of him.
- bmeltzer

fair enuf

Good deal. Having him signed for this season plus two more after that at under 2 million is great.

Let's not forget that Grossmann has a history of ongoing injury concerns, too.

As for Streit, what they desperately needed was somebody to take the tough matchups off of Timonen's hands now and in the future. What they got instead was a 3rd-pairing PP specialist when they were already top-3 in PP% and in the top third of the league in goals-for.

The Islanders were only a slightly better defensive team than the Flyers and Capuano had to hide Streit on the third-pairing at ES, especially in the PO's when he just didn't trust him to be out there against Malkin and Crosby. The Flyers could hope that pairing him w/ Grossmann or Coburn might mitigate his shortcomings, but then again Gervais was like an anchor around Coburn when they were paired up last year, and Gervais and Streit are similar players in their own zone.

People will also assume that his puck-moving should help them get out of their own end with more regularity, but that tune might change once we see his lack of foot speed and strength become a root cause for the team being hemmed in the d-zone when he's on the ice.
- Tomahawk

The Flyers and the fans know what they got in Streit. No one is under the illusion that they acquired Streit to take Timonen's place. The Flyers have Schenn, Coburn, and Grossmann to play the tough minutes. Defense is a team game, and involves all the players on the ice, not just one defenseman. If the Flyers don't improve defensively as a team overall, it's not going to matter. Meszaros' injury history far outweighs Grossmann's in my opinion.

Good deal. Having him signed for this season plus two more after that at under 2 million is great.
- FlyerAdam30

Agreed -- it's a good contract, reflects real-world accomplishments, and is no-risk to either side.

The Flyers don't nickel-and-dime players they want to keep, anyway. This deal is simply reflective of where Sean Couturier is in his development.

The guaranteed portion of his salary more than doubled, so it's not like he's not getting a bump in pay. The timing is a bit funny for him though... you'd think his agent would have held out until after he bounced back offensively, instead of rushing to the table. Maybe Couts doesn't want to give Homer any reason to trade him until he's had a chance to pull a PK Subban?
- Tomahawk

Unless he had a monstrous offensive Season, his deal wouldn't change much. Good deal for both sides.

Absurdly good signing by Homer then. Blackmail?

Why would Coots sign that? Worth at least 2.5 or 3.
- coffee junkie

Nah, he's not worth 2.5 or 3. He pretty much doubled his salary with this deal.

The Flyers and the fans know what they got in Streit. No one is under the illusion that they acquired Streit to take Timonen's place. The Flyers have Schenn, Coburn, and Grossmann to play the tough minutes. Defense is a team game, and involves all the players on the ice, not just one defenseman. If the Flyers don't improve defensively as a team overall, it's not going to matter. Meszaros' injury history far outweighs Grossmann's in my opinion.
- MJL

Agreed -- I am absolutely aware that we got a third-pair defenseman who should not be playing hard minutes against some of the league's better players.

I am aware that Mark Streit's value was inflated due to free agency.

Neither of those two things matter to me, because we had to get a guy in here to do what Mark Streit does while the young defensemen we've drafted develop.

As always, there's risk. But there's risk in every single aspect of hockey, and the alternative to not having someone with Mark Streit's skillset for another season -- that alternative is simply unacceptable.

Agreed -- I am absolutely aware that we got a third-pair defenseman who should not be playing hard minutes against some of the league's better players.

I am aware that Mark Streit's value was inflated due to free agency.

Neither of those two things matter to me, because we had to get a guy in here to do what Mark Streit does while the young defensemen we've drafted develop.

As always, there's risk. But there's risk in every single aspect of hockey, and the alternative to not having someone with Mark Streit's skillset for another season -- that alternative is simply unacceptable.
- AllInForFlyers

Very well said.

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Flyers Monthly Schedule Breakdown
- bmeltzer

The signing reminds me of Coburn's first extension with the Flyers. It's a good deal. I would be okay with Schenn getting 1.95-2 million. Schenn I would make priority over Read moving forward.

From here on I am calling it the "Gary Bettman f'n sucks division!"
- BiggE

I like this suggestion better. Metropolitan Division???
WTF does that even mean?