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The Philadelphia Flyers made a logical move on Friday, something that has become something of a rarity with Paul Holmgren as general manager. The club agreed to a new four-year contract extension with Matt Read, who was set to become a restricted free agent next summer.
The extension for Read should bring an end to months/years of trade rumors for the young forward. It seemed like every player that was connected to the Flyers in trade rumors, be it Bobby Ryan or Keith Yandle, involved Read in one way or another. Now, his future appears set, at least for now.
Read had a brilliant first season with the Flyers, and was part of a rookie duo that really impressed, along with Sean Couturier. He led all first year players with 24 goals that season. Along with Couturier and Brayden Schenn, Read represents part of youth influx that has taken over this Flyers club.
The deal is for $14.5 million total, which is a very good price for a player who brings as much offensive skill to the table as Read does. He didn’t find the back of the net with quite as much regularity as he did in his rookie year during the shortened 2013 season, but 24 points in 42 games, including 11 goals, is still a solid mark.
His future had certainly been weighing on the mind of Read for quite some time. Now locked up for the next five years, including 2013-14, Read can now focus on becoming a key offensive piece for the Flyers, rather than whether or not he’ll be part of the package that they send to Nashville for Shea Weber.
