Each NHL team’s best contract heading into the 2019-20 season

Philadelphia Flyers: Sean Couturier

Contract: $4.333333 million cap hit over the next three seasons

Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier has one of the best bargain deals in the NHL. He’s a legitimate top-line center signed at under $4.5 million a year. That’s highway robbery. He’s been outstanding the past two seasons and is a perennial Selke Trophy candidate.

Couturier was a deserved Selke finalist for the 2017-18 season. You could argue he was even better in 2018-19. Relative to his teammates, the Flyers generated more shot attempts, allowed fewer shot attempts against, and scored more goals than they did with Couturier on the ice during the 2017-18 season.

His offense has peaked in the past two seasons, as he has 152 points over his last 164 games. Couturier has at least 30 goals in each of his last two seasons as well. Yes, he plays a lot with Claude Giroux. But the Flyers have a shutdown line that can score. Couturier’s the clear leader of it, at least in the defensive zone.

Honorable mentions: Giroux’s deal ($8.275 million) isn’t a huge bargain, but it’s a better bargain than a lot of people think. That’s the case with Shayne Gostisbehere as well. If the Flyers give him a consistent partner, he’d be much better.