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4 x 4 for Noah Cates is Perfectly Fine
Published:
The Flyers extended Noah Cates:
Initially, you’re thinking that this is an overpay for a 35-40 point player, but Cates is a 26-year-old, middle-six defensive forward. Half of what he does has nothing to do with goals and assists, so how do you quantify the checking and defensive work? You quantify it with 4×4, not breaking the bank while also not pushing into the guy’s thirties. This is a Ross Colton or Nino Niederreiter type of dollar amount in 2025. Plus, the cap is going above $100 million over the next three seasons, so $4 million now is going to look more like $3 million a few years from now. If the Flyers rebuild like we think and/or hope they will, then getting a solid 3C at $4 million by the time they are competitive will look good. Yeah, sure, they need high-end talent, but they also need grinders as well, and they have one in house currently. This deal is fine.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com