Philadelphia Flyers: Everyone is loving Joel Farabee’s new extension
Say what you will about the Philadelphia Flyers‘ offseason – of their signings, trades, and drafting – but you surely can’t call their summer swapfest boring.
Some moves drew rave reviews. The Flyers are unquestionably better with Ryan Ellis and Keith Yandle playing alongside Travis Senheim on the left side of their defense, and the decision to secure Carter Hart on a “just right” contract felt like a solid compromise in between the highs of his splendid second season and the lows of his 2020-21 campaign.
Others, like the decision to acquire Rasmus Ristolainen from Buffalo for a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and Robert Hagg, weren’t quite so well received, with our pals over at The Athletic giving the move the rare F- trade grade.
Surely Chuck Fletcher took his declaration that the Flyers shouldn’t expect different results from running back the same roster to heart and turned over roughly a quarter of the team heading into a pivotal regular season.
But now, with the season rapidly approaching and the summer almost done, Fletch had one final card up his sleeve that is earning rave reviews across the Philadelphia Flyers’ fanbase: Extending Joel Farabee to a six-year, $30 million deal that will keep him under contract through the 2027-28 NHL season.
Joel Farabee is going to be a Philadelphia Flyers fan favorite for a long time.
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For a time, Joel Farabee led the NHL in scoring last season.
Now granted, that time lasted all of a few hours, as the Philadelphia Flyers played the first game of the 2020-21 NHL season, and Farabee was the high-man in the game – scoring one goal in addition to three more assists – but still, after being eased into the lineup as a 19-year-old rookie the previous season, watching the pride of Syracuse, New York get in the goal in a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh was a pretty darn sweet way to start out the season.
And fortunately for every Flyers fan in the City of Brotherly Love and beyond, Farabee was far from a one-game wonder.
No, in 55 games of action, Farabee led the Flyers in goals at 20 and finished out the regular season with 38 points, the fifth-highest mark on the team. Whether playing on the first, second, or even third-line, Farabee formed a lethal two-man game with ex-Ducks forward Kevin Hayes, who he spent the vast majority of his on-ice time with. Farabee’s speed on the wings was on full display, and he vastly outperformed players like Nolan Patrick, who came into the league with a much higher pedigree.
And now, at not even 22 years of age, Farabee has committed to remain in the Flyers’ plans long-term, as he’ll be with the team through the 2027-28 season if he sees out the duration of his contract.
Needless to say, fans are hyped at this very welcomed news.
Now playing on a team committed to winning now, Farabee presents a bit of long-term hope that the Flyers won’t completely fall apart when Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk, and Ryan Ellis age out of their prime. No, even if Sean Couturier and Hayes aren’t that much younger at 28 and 29, respectively, pairing those two up with Farabee for the next half-decade isn’t the worst-case scenario.
Fun fact: Farabee will only be 28 when his contract comes to an end, meaning he could again sign a Couturier-level extension again after his eighth NHL season.
Next. Sean Couturier has become a franchise icon. dark
Make no mistake about it; extending Joel Farabee before his third NHL season is a fantastic move no matter how you slice it. The AAV price tag is reasonable, the length is fantastic, and the ability to lock up a fast skating, sharpshooting, homegrown sniper is the sort of move good general managers make. Is Chuck Fletcher a good general manager? That, I guess, depends on who you ask, but it sure is hard to find anything to knock about this move.