The Philadelphia Flyers have won the Ivan Provorov trade in more ways than one.
On Monday, multiple reports indicated that the Flyers' former No. 1 defenseman signed an eye-watering seven-year contract extension worth $8.5 million annually, all while playing second fiddle to Norris Trophy finalist Zach Werenski.
Provorov, 28, is now signed through his age 35 season, earning a big raise on the previous six-year, $40.5 million ($6.75 million AAV) pact he signed with the Flyers on Sept. 12, 2019.
On his new contract, Provorov would have been the second-highest-paid Flyer, trailing Travis Konecny by only $250k.
On defense, the former No. 7 overall pick would be leading Travis Sanheim, and the injured Ryan Ellis, by a healthy $1.75 million.
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Many fans took to social media to immediately lament the signing as a drastic overpayment, and given that Provorov is effectively a second-pairing defender, there is some truth to that.
Something Provorov and his agent are banking on, and something the Flyers are planning their own moves around, is the ever-rising salary cap, which is projected to reach $114 million just two years from now.
It's important for players and teams to keep in mind, however, that earning bigger, larger contracts partially defeat the purpose of the rising cap.
To keep up with these increasing demands, the Flyers, the rest of the NHL teams, and the league itself will have to generate more revenue, which comes from games. And fans are already unhappy with the rampant expansion rumors and the rumored increase from 82 regular season games to 84.
The new Provorov contract is absurd and could be a concerning sign of things to come down the road.
In Philadelphia, the Flyers will gladly take Oliver Bonk, Helge Grans, and the other assets they ultimately received in that Provorov trade, especially at that price.