![]() That’s not even mentioning that while with Sanheim, regular partner Rasmus Ristolainen performed at the level of a passable second-pair NHL blueliner (47.87 percent xG share at even strength) when with Sanheim, and at sub-replacement level (40.46 percent) while away from him. “He’s probably the one and only player that played to their capabilities last year,” Fletcher said on the first day of training camp last month. And he did it all while largely avoiding the backbreaking mistakes that plagued him in years past, on a team that was constantly making them. He won the Ashbee Trophy, finished with the second-highest point total of his career (31) and ranked 22nd in the NHL in Goals Above Replacement among defensemen (per Evolving-Hockey), putting him in legitimate first-pair territory. When looking at the past three seasons, Sanheim ranks in the 85th percentile among NHL blueliners in terms of his impact on his team’s xG differential at even strength, and he’s in the 80th percentile by raw shot attempt differential impact.Īlso, Sanheim is coming off the best all-around season of his career. Losing him would have hit the defense hard.Īnd Sanheim’s even strength results weren’t merely good relative to the rest of the Philadelphia blue line. But at even strength, Sanheim has been the most valuable blueliner of the Flyers’ top four on their current depth chart. Tony DeAngelo has been the better offensive defenseman, yes, and has generated lots of power play value for his clubs. And generally speaking, it’s a good idea to keep good players.Ĭourtesy of Evolving-Hockey. In fact, there’s a pretty strong case he’s the best defenseman in the Flyers’ top four, or at least has been over the past three seasons. Let’s get one thing out of the way, since there are still some vocal detractors out there: Sanheim is a good defenseman he’s far closer to qualifying as a very good defenseman than anything else. But is the contract the right move for the Flyers? How much of a risk is it on their end, especially given their current situation? Evaluating Sanheim the player Given the degree of commitment the Flyers were willing to make to Sanheim and his clear affection for the team and city, it makes perfect sense for him to re-up with the club. “I love the organization, the fans, the city. “I love it here and I love the group here,” Sanheim said after Thursday night’s victory over the New Jersey Devils. ![]() He’d be staying in Philadelphia, with a new eight-year, $50 million ($6.25 million cap hit) contract that will last through the 2030-31 season. Travis Sanheim, winner of the Barry Ashbee Trophy given to the team’s best defenseman last season, would no longer be hitting the open market this summer.
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