LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- It had been in the works for months, but it took until the Flyers got out of town for Matt Read to sign to the contract extension both he and the team had been hoping for.
The 27-year-old forward inked a four-year deal worth $14.5 million on Friday.
“We’re excited and happy we finally got this done,” general manager Paul Holmgren said. “This has been going on for the better part of the summer. We’re happy and I’m sure Matt’s happy. He’s one of the young, core players on our team.”
Currently, Read is in the final year of his three-year entry-level contract. He would have been an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
Read's agent had been in talks with the Flyers throughout the summer, though the deal was only recently completed. Read said he wanted to remain in Philadelphia, but implied he would have tested the free-agent waters in 2014 need be. Earlier on during training camp, he refrained from suggesting he had hoped to get a deal done before the start of this season, saying instead talk of a new deal was "on the back burners" as he prepared for the Flyers' 2013-14 campaign.
That said, he's pleased to have gotten the deal done with 12 days to spare before the puck drops on the regular season.
“I’m very happy about it,” Read said. “My first two years have been very overwhelming for me. It’s still crazy to me to think I’m playing in the National Hockey League. So to sign my second contract with the Philadelphia Flyers is a dream come true.
NHL
"I couldn’t be happier with being with this organization, and I’m glad to be here for a couple more years."
The Flyers first signed Read as an undrafted free agent in 2011 at the end of his tenure at Bemidji State University in Minnesota. During his rookie campaign, he was a surprise standout, leading all first-year NHL players with 24 goals. Last year, he netted 11 goals in 42 games, while rushing back from abdominal surgery much sooner than expected.
In 121 career games with the Flyers, Read has registered 35 goals and 36 assists.