Since joining the Flyers midway into the 2009-10 campaign, Peter Laviolette's squads have reached at least the second round of the playoffs all three years, with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals thrown in there for good measure. On Wednesday, he was rewarded with more time to finish the job.
The Flyers agreed to a two-year extension with Laviolette that runs through '14-'15, giving the head coach a vote of confidence, and keeping him behind Philly's bench for the foreseeable future.
There's not too much to pick apart, as it's a relatively short extension. Laviolette was entering 2012-13 on the final year of his original deal, so it's not uncommon for the front office to either work something out or go in another direction. We could speculate the shorter extension indicates the latter is still plausible in the near future, but if things go well for the Flyers over the next two seasons, Lavvy could very well receive another extension too.
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Of course, things going well for the Flyers is probably something like another Finals appearance, or winning the damn thing. Second-round exits might not be enough to earn Lavvy another new contract.
For now, extending Laviolette feels like little more than a formality. After a complete roster overhaul last offseason, the Orange and Black went on to rack up 103 points and defeat the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs with a relatively young crew. The new deal ensures he will have another season or two to continue building on that success with the current group. Probably.