VORHEES, New Jersey — The Philadelphia Flyers signed guard Jett Luchanko to a three-year entry-level contract immediately following Saturday night's development camp scrimmage at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, New Jersey.
No, seriously. In the autograph-signing photo, Luchanko was wearing the same shirt and hat he wore during the media appearance after the practice game.
The 17-year-old Luchanko became the first member of the Flyers' 2024 draft class to sign an entry-level contract, joining other top prospects Macklin Celebrini, Artyom Levsyunov, Beckett Senneke, Zayn Parekh and Barkley Catton as the first players in the 2024 draft class to sign professional contracts.
The main difference is that the Flyers don't expect Luchanko to turn pro right away, so why sign the contract now and get the deal done?
Because Ruchanko will turn 18 (and 19) on Sept. 15 for each of the next two seasons, his entry-level contract is allowed to “slide.” In layman's terms, that means that unless Ruchanko plays 10 or more NHL games, the seasons will essentially not count toward his contract.
Thus, Ruchanko's first NHL contract isn't due to start until the 2026-27 season, when the teenager will likely start spending some time at the AHL level before making the jump to the major leagues.
Additionally, Luchanko will receive his signing bonus immediately instead of at a later date, meaning his salary cap will go down each time his contract is extended.
The Flyers didn't necessarily need to sign Ruchanko right away, but with Danny Briere and company setting up the right setup for Ruchanko in camp, there's little reason to wait. This isn't to suggest that Ruchanko could or would cause all this trouble, of course, but we all remember what happened when Cutter Gauthier suspiciously didn't sign his entry-level contract and then was a no-show at development camp.
Everything is best in moderation, and this also applies to prudence.
Although it is not yet confirmed, Ruchanko will likely return to the Guelph Storm to play in the OHL for the 2024-25 season. Ruchanko appeared in 68 regular season games with the Storm last season, recording 20 goals, 54 assists and 74 points.
