Michael Del Zotto Signs Two-Year Extension to Stay with Flyers

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall had one last box to check off on his offseason to-do list before he could be really comfortable with his NHL roster heading into training camp.

He checked it off Thursday, re-signing restricted free agent defenseman Michael Del Zotto to a two-year, $7.75 million contract. According to a source, he will make $3.75 million the first year and $4 million in the second. If the two sides hadn’t come to an agreement, they would have had an arbitration case heard next Tuesday.

Del Zotto, 25, was due a raise after a comeback season with the Flyers. In his first season in Philadelphia he had 10 goals and 22 assists in 64 games. He was also a healthy scratch under Craig Berube 11 times when the former coach thought the defenseman’s play was too risky.

“I felt I got off to a good start at the beginning of the year,” Del Zotto said in April when the Flyers cleaned out their lockers after the season. “Maybe didn’t put up as many points as I would have liked or people were expecting. Then December came where I was scratched for quite a few games and then January I was back in the lineup, I came back and didn’t look back. From then on I think might be the most well-rounded, most complete game I’ve played in my career.”