Confirmed with Link: Raffl 2 year contract extension, 1.6AAV

[baudib1]

It is pretty weird that we have 10 pages in a Michael Raffl thread. We need hobbies.

 

[captainpaxil]

Raffl is a great utility guy you can plug in anywhere. He wont hurt you anywhere in the lineup just dont ask him to score and at 1.8 you shouldn't be. But he can feed our skill guys the puck when asked to and grind on the 4th no problem. Im seriously looking forward to entering the year with mike raffl a legitimate nhl player being the worst guy on the team.

 

[Rich Nixon]

It is pretty weird that we have 10 pages in a Michael Raffl thread. We need hobbies.

Every thread is a proxy war.

 

[Striiker]

I can't believe this thread has multiple pages when there's so much other exciting news to talk about and the season is just starting to ramp up too!

Why would anyone be talking about a signing that impacts the team next year and shows insight in to a new GMs mentality?!?!

 

[Hakroach]

That is just one team spending money because they had to. Not a good comparable, really.

Quite true. But really I just wanted to troll the Nucks.

 

[deadhead]

Look at how long it took for Myers and Morin to get into the lineup.

Or how NAK and Vorobyev are still in the AHL.

The problem is that being the superior player isn't enough to get a spot. If it was, MacDonald and Hagg aren't even playing.

Maybe they're not superior players?

 

[deadhead]

That is just one team spending money because they had to. Not a good comparable, really.

Komarov 4yr/$12M, Lou & Trotz.
I'd rather have Raffl, a year younger for $2yr/$3.2M.

 

[baudib1]

Every thread is a proxy war.

Incredible post.

 

[Rich Nixon]

The problem is that there's a million other kids that have been in the lineup, just not the ones fans think are deserving.

My point is that young kids are everywhere, but if you ask(ed) Flyers fans recently, they'd say we don't play the kids. Just not the right kids.

Mind you: I don't disagree that some of those guys should've been up sooner/up now/playing more, but it's just the general groupthink that had me puzzled for the past year or so.

It is, and it has a whole lot more to do with fans wanting to see something than it does proper player management.

That particularly applies to the defensemen. I wish Myers had played sooner, but it seems like they wanted him to play big minutes in the AHL for a couple seasons rather than small minutes in the NHL for a while. You want to turn Myers into the best player he possibly can be, regardless of whatever else is going on in the organization.

Likewise, I think Sanheim's brief dip back to the AHL last year did wonders. As much as it sucked to have to watch inferior talent, a lot won't admit that Travis was struggling and needed to settle/regain confidence for a few weeks. He looked great when he came back up and has been terrific this season.

If you're going to be mad at anything, be mad at Hextall for accepting cap dumps and signing mediocrity like Weise rather than seeking out real, useful depth. MacDonald wasn't playing to slight Sanheim and Myers: They were in the AHL for their own reasons, and Hextall hadn't given the team a better depth option to use while they were there. He tried to rectify that this time around with Folin, but he was just as bad.

Vorobyov had a chance and he played himself right out of it, had a goal and an assist in his first two and then didn't even record a shot for like the next three weeks while his line was repeatedly pushed over and clowned in its own end. NAK is a bigger name on here than he is on the ice at the PPL Center. Weise, Weal, and Lehtera being awful doesn't suddenly make Vorobyov and NAK better players than they actually are, and MacDonald sucking doesn't magically expedite the necessary development process for a young defenseman.

Raffl is good 4th line depth. As are Hartman and Laughton. If the team can competently fill out the third line, we're all set...but I feel like folks will still complain that Erik Gustafsson should be getting more minutes or something.

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

Komarov 4yr/$12M, Lou & Trotz.
I'd rather have Raffl, a year younger for $2yr/$3.2M.

I am completely fine with the Raffl deal. 2 year deals are ideal for his age range.

Lou and Benning are in a class by themselves, but there are plenty of GMs that throw money at aging vets.

Hopefully Fletcher is more patient.

 

[BrindamoursNose]

It is, and it has a whole lot more to do with fans wanting to see something than it does proper player management.

That particularly applies to the defensemen. I wish Myers had played sooner, but it seems like they wanted him to play big minutes in the AHL for a couple seasons rather than small minutes in the NHL for a while. You want to turn Myers into the best player he possibly can be, regardless of whatever else is going on in the organization.

Likewise, I think Sanheim's brief dip back to the AHL last year did wonders. As much as it sucked to have to watch inferior talent, a lot won't admit that Travis was struggling and needed to settle/regain confidence for a few weeks. He looked great when he came back up and has been terrific this season.

If you're going to be mad at anything, be mad at Hextall for accepting cap dumps and signing mediocrity like Weise rather than seeking out real, useful depth. MacDonald wasn't playing to slight Sanheim and Myers: They were in the AHL for their own reasons, and Hextall hadn't given the team a better depth option to use while they were there. He tried to rectify that this time around with Folin, but he was just as bad.

Vorobyov had a chance and he played himself right out of it, had a goal and an assist in his first two and then didn't even record a shot for like the next three weeks while his line was repeatedly pushed over and clowned in its own end. NAK is a bigger name on here than he is on the ice at the PPL Center. Weise, Weal, and Lehtera being awful doesn't suddenly make Vorobyov and NAK better players than they actually are, and MacDonald sucking doesn't magically expedite the necessary development process for a young defenseman.

Raffl is good 4th line depth. As are Hartman and Laughton. If the team can competently fill out the third line, we're all set...but I feel like folks will still complain that Erik Gustafsson should be getting more minutes or something.

I think this is insanely rational and people should listen to it more often.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Raffl's been on the team for 6 years now and has his fans. Whether or not we should re-sign him or let him walk was also a semi-common discussion point around here, and now we know which was chosen. It's not like this is a 12 page thread on Greg Carey or Will O'Neill.

 

[dats81]

Not sure if it has already been mentioned here but he gave an interview at the IHHF worlds and when asked about his contract extension said that the Flyers specifically told him that he was re-signed for the 4th line, and that they value his ability to move up and down the lineup and fill every role, and he was okay with that and loves playing there.

He is a smart and humble guy who understands the business of hockey and knows that he is not the most talented player himself. National team is a whole different story: he tries to carry the whole team on his back.

 

[deadhead]

Not sure if it has already been mentioned here but he gave an interview at the IHHF worlds and when asked about his contract extension said that the Flyers specifically told him that he was re-signed for the 4th line, and that they value his ability to move up and down the lineup and fill every role, and he was okay with that and loves playing there.

He is a smart and humble guy who understands the business of hockey and knows that he is not the most talented player himself. National team is a whole different story: he tries to carry the whole team on his back.

Raffl was a no brainer at that price, worst that happens is he falls off the cliff and they bury him on the Phantoms at a roster cost of $600K or so (someone can check this) and he's a mentor for the young prospects. That's not much of a downside.

On the upside, he's a good role model, a good soldier, does the dirty work and provides solid depth at the bottom of the roster.
He'll play 10 minutes a night, practice hard and never whine about his PT.

 

[SnS]

Not sure if it has already been mentioned here but he gave an interview at the IHHF worlds and when asked about his contract extension said that the Flyers specifically told him that he was re-signed for the 4th line, and that they value his ability to move up and down the lineup and fill every role, and he was okay with that and loves playing there.

He is a smart and humble guy who understands the business of hockey and knows that he is not the most talented player himself. National team is a whole different story: he tries to carry the whole team on his back.

He’s just the ideal guy.

 

[Beef Invictus]

He’s just the ideal guy.

He's the Timonen of Raffls.

 

[Appleyard]

 

[bauer]

he's totally fine as a 4th liner. just don't want him in the top 9.

 

[Beef Invictus]

I'm often reminded of Powe, except he can finish. Less wrecking ball aspect though.

 

[Appleyard]

There just are not very many players around the league who play bottom six roles over such long timeframes and have the scoring impact and two-way impact he has.

 

[Appleyard]

Double post!

 

[Magua]

Raffl h8ers are Flat Earthers.

 

[Appleyard]

he's totally fine as a 4th liner. just don't want him in the top 9.

I mean, objectively he can still be a #6 winger on a team that is a ~contender.

Buuuut if he is on your 4th line with a decent center it should be one of the best 4th lines in the league.

Basically on paper the perfect #10 fwd/#7 winger for a top team.

 

[deadhead]

People complain about the 4th line, so Fletcher signs Raffl to an inexpensive deal and Pitlick to a cheap one year deal and even Stewart to the league minimum.
If you don't want to play Knight, Varone, Gordon, etc., you have to have affordable bodies.
And most teams end up playing about 14 forwards for 10+ games over the course of a season

 

[Appleyard]

People complain about the 4th line, so Fletcher signs Raffl to an inexpensive deal and Pitlick to a cheap one year deal and even Stewart to the league minimum.
If you don't want to play Knight, Varone, Gordon, etc., you have to have affordable bodies.
And most teams end up playing about 14 forwards for 10+ games over the course of a season

I mean, if Raffl+Laughton are on the 4th line for 75+% of the season then the Flyers "should" have the best/one of the ~2-3 best 4th lines in the NHL.

Both are really #9 fwds in terms of ability level who on an average team would both be third line wingers.

Pitlick is not quite the same level as them in my eyes, though is also solid.

Laughton-Vorobyev-Raffl

could be an amazing 4th line when Patrick gets back.