Update (12:00PM): The two sides have agreed on a two-year, $5MM deal. The $2.5MM AAV is almost double Neuvirth’s current $1.625 cap hit, despite the fact that he is in the midst of his worst NHL season.
The Philadelphia Flyers are close to signing pending UFA goaltender Michal Neuvirth to a contract extension, ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports (Twitter link). There’s no word yet on what the financial terms might be.
Neuvirth is in the second and final year of a two year, $3.25MM deal he inked with the team back in July of 2015. Last season, he provided the Flyers with strong goaltending and started to secure more starts down the stretch, finishing up with a 2.27 GAA and a .924 SV% in 32 games. However, things haven’t gone as well for him this year as he has struggled, posting a 2.90 GAA and a .887 SV% in 24 appearances.
In his career, the 28 year old has a 94-80-22 record between the Capitals, Sabres, Islanders, and Flyers, with a 2.68 GAA, a .911 SV%, and ten shutouts.
The move would also allow the Flyers to fulfill the requirements for the expansion draft coming up in June. As things stand, only Anthony Stolarz is eligible to be protected (the rest are either exempt or unsigned) so inking Neuvirth would allow Philadelphia to leave one of the two unprotected.
Philadelphia’s other goalie at the NHL level, Steve Mason, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.