Despite the fact that this era of Philadelphia Flyers history is unrecognizable compared to the first 50 years of their existence, there’s one constant- there’s never a dull moment when it comes to the goaltending. The 2023-24 season is no exception to that rule.
There are six goalies under contract heading into the season, two are in Russia, one voluntarily, the other… not so much, one is currently involved in a criminal investigation pending results, one was among the worst goalies in the league statistically over the last few seasons and the other two both had sub-.900 save percentages at the NHL level in 2022-23 and could very well end up being their starting tandem at some point this year.
Like we said, never a dull moment.
Because of all the chaos, there will be an uncertainty as to where the players that are available start the season. The four available goalies all have some level of NHL experience and could reasonably stake claim to a gig on the opening night roster, but which ones likely make the cut?
Carter Hart
Apparently Carter Hart isn’t going to start the season in prison, so they’ll at least have to factor in his presence for a little while longer as the investigation into Team Canada continues to drag its feet.
Whether or not he’s ultimately named and prosecuted will be a lingering question for at least a little while longer, but working under the assumption that he’s here without interruption (innocent until proven guilty, just in case his lawyer is reading) there are still unknowns about Hart.
He’s in the last season of his contract and could be looking for quite the raise from his current $3.9 million salary. Yet with Sam Ersson waiting in the wings and Alexei Kolosov expected to make the jump to North America next season, Hart may not be the long-term, clear cut number one in Philly anymore.
He’s been the backbone of the team for the last five seasons and losing that crown isn’t imminent as long as he’s available. Do the Flyers sign Hart long-term as their starter? Or do they considering moving him and running with one of their less battle-tested goalies? If he gets cleared from the Team Canada investigation, these are things the organization is going to have to deal with.
Until there are answers, he’ll remain the NHL starter, but by no means does he have a comfy hold on the job like he once did. If his play isn’t immaculate, he could have some competition knocking at the door ready to steal some starts, especially if Ersson claims the backup role out of camp of plays spotless hockey in the AHL.
Felix Sandstrom
Felix Sandstrom managed to play 20 games last season after snagging the NHL backup gig for the first time, and the only reason he even got that many is because of injuries to his cohorts. The biggest reason he held the backup job despite not being in the good graces of the coaching staff boiled down to a numbers game. After Ivan Fedotov was kidnapped by the Russian military, the team only had three goalies under contract and Sandstrom was not waiver exempt unlike Sam Ersson who was.
Entering 2023-24, with Fedotov still M.I.A. and Hart’s future unknown, he’s still in a weird limbo where the franchise can’t really move on from him despite the fact he may not be in their plans. Ideally, he’s a guy they’d probably love to tuck away in the AHL as a rainy day option, but if the Flyers put him on waivers and he gets claimed, they’re in trouble. They have at least some kind of option this season with the presence of Cal Petersen, but he may actually be a downgrade at the NHL level.
On the plus side, if Hart is the starter, it’s better to have someone like Sandstrom who can deal with a multi-week stretch of inactivity riding the bench. Sandstrom is the defacto backup until some clarity emerges, and even then, he may remain the backup.
Sam Ersson
Despite signing a two-year extension during the offseason, Sam Ersson is still in the last year of his entry-level deal, meaning he’s waiver exempt, the only goalie with that distinction.
Ersson played a total of 57 games last season between the AHL, NHL and the AHL postseason. A substantial role considering he missed practically the entire 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery for a lower body issue. He got shaky down the stretch after a lights-out run for most of the winter and finished with a .900 save percentage with the Phantoms through 42 games and a .899 save percentage with the Flyers in 12 games.
Despite the pedestrian numbers, he was the Phantoms’ most important player last year and is still earmarked as the long-term challenger to Hart’s starting gig.
If Hart goes away or injuries strike, Ersson will get elevated to the number one guy in Philly pretty quickly, but in the meantime, it’s best to focus on his development and letting him play where he will see the most ice time, which happens to be the AHL. If Hart is present and is seeing the lion’s share of the starts, it doesn’t make sense for Ersson to be sitting on the bench for weeks at a time. Playing three times a week in Lehigh Valley is much better for his development than playing once every three weeks in the NHL. It may be the unpopular move in the short term, but it’s best for the long term success of Ersson.
Cal Petersen
It’s easy to forget that once upon a time Cal Petersen was one of the rising stars in the league when it came to the goaltending position. While that potential has seemingly been snuffed out like a candle under water, there’s still a chance he could rekindle some of that heat with a fresh start in Philly.
He and his $5 million cap hit will likely be buried in Lehigh Valley, making up one half of the tandem with Sam Ersson to start the season. He’s not waiver exempt, but it’s practically a guarantee nobody is taking on his contract, so the Flyers should have no problem moving him around with ease to fit whatever role he needs to be in.
Danny Briere said he’ll get a fair shake to earn an NHL gig out of the gate, but given the sheer numbers game at this point, it’s highly unlikely he usurps anybody in front of him. Though, if he starts the season hot and Sandstrom continues to be the odd man out, maybe they make the call to swap them out.
Alexei Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov
21-year-old Alexei Kolosov, a Belarusian-born KHL goaltender signed his entry-level contract during the offseason and is expected to make his North American debut next season.
26-year-old Ivan Fedotov was deemed to have a valid NHL contract with the Flyers after it was tolled from last season when he was abducted by the Russian military. He faced fines and a suspension for signing with a KHL team… and then just continued to play for a KHL team. It’s not impossible he gets out and makes the journey to the Flyers, but it sure doesn’t seem like the how this story is going to work out.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com / nbcsports.com
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