Big year, bigger contract could be ahead for Raffl

If there is one thing that should come out of Flyers training camp and the preseason, it is that new coach Dave Hakstol needs to find line combinations that can work, show chemistry and stick together for the 82-game season.

Under Craig Berube, there was too much line shuffling. There was never a chance for players to get truly comfortable in their role.

If Hakstol is going to establish roles early, one player who could get a lot of the spotlight is Michael Raffl. Raffl appears to be the favorite to join the line of Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek as a top-line winger.

It is a contract year for Raffl, who would be playing alongside the cornerstones of the franchise while looking to become one himself.

Raffl bounced around lines last season, as many did, and still managed to score 21 goals while adding seven assists. That was the follow-up to a rookie season that saw Raffl score nine goals and add 13 assists for 22 points.

But Raffl was always at his best when playing alongside Giroux and Voracek.

If given a steady role on the top line, Raffl could become a fixture of the team overnight, in a very similar fashion to Voracek.

Voracek’s stock rose quickly, due to an increase in salary to other top wingers in the game and his excellent career season in 2014-15. Between Giroux and Voracek, the Flyers are paying an average of $16.75 million per year.

If Raffl has a similar career season, at least as good as a third-year player can have, then what? How can the Flyers afford to pay Voracek, Giroux and Raffl top-line money.

There are a few options for the Flyers to free up money. Luke Schenn and Mark Streit could be potential trade chips. Bringing up younger defenseman, all on entry level contracts, would also minimize the cap hit.

But it still makes it hard to see keeping Raffl at a hefty price tag when the Flyers just re-signed Voracek and Sean Couturier to big extensions and have Giroux and Wayne Simmonds and Andrew MacDonald and Vincent Lecavalier and R.J. Umberger all eating up huge amounts of the Flyers cap space.

Granted, while a successful Raffl likely means a big contract extension is in order, it also will mean the Flyers are succeeding, especially with that top line.

As the Flyers attempt to move forward and return to the playoffs, Raffl will have to play a big part. He has played in 135 games over two seasons, missing time in both seasons. For the 26-year-old Austrian winger, this could be the time to have a breakout season.

If he does, it could mean more than just big success for the Flyers. It could mean Raffl is the next to get the lucrative contract extension.

Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.