Flyers extend Betts for 2 years, 1.4 million

You can make the argument that Blair Betts is one of the most important Flyers. No, he doesn't score a lot of points. And, no, he doesn't get time on the power play, fight or rack up a ton of hits. Still, what Betts does for the Flyers is something every team in the NHL needs. He's a glue guy that plays great defensive hockey and kills penalties with the best of them. He's a 4th line center who will win you the important faceoffs. He will also be a Flyer for 2 more years.

The Flyers and Betts have agreed to a 2 year, 1.4 million dollar extension. On a Flyers team filled with players with multi-million dollar contracts, having a guy like Betts around for just 700,000 per year is a steal and a necessity, given the Flyers cap issues. Betts likely could have commanded closer to a million dollars if he went on the open market so the Flyers were smart to get him locked up at this price when they could.

With the number of penalties the Flyers take, they need to have several smart penalty killers on the roster. While Betts has issues staying healthy, when he's out there, he allows guys like Mike Richards and Jeff Carter to spend a little less time on the PK and a little more time trying to score goals. For the price of 700k a year, I'm not sure you can find a more valuable hockey player.