For most of the last four decades, the Philadelphia Flyers have been the poster child for mediocre-to-poor goaltending.
This year is no exception.
In their first full season without goalie Carter Hart since 2018-19, the Flyers are again near the bottom of the standings and again getting mostly subpar goaltending. Hart, who left the team about 14 months ago, is awaiting trial next month for an alleged sexual assault in 2018, and his lawyers say he will plead not guilty. The Flyers did not give Hart a qualifying offer last summer, and he became a UFA.
Samuel Ersson, 25, and Ivan Fedotov, 28, have had some spurts of impressive play, but for the most part, they and their defense have contributed to another disappointing season. The Flyers (28-35-9) will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season, matching a franchise record for futility.
To point fingers solely at the goaltending and defense would be unfair. The offense has been awful: 25th out of 32 teams in goals scored (2.71 per game) and 30th on the power play (13.8-percent success rate).
The goaltending has been even worse. Flyers goalies are last in the NHL in save percentage (.880) and 28th in goals against (3.39 per game).
'Heartbeat' Of The Team
Flyers coach John Tortorella wasn’t using hyperbole when he said goaltenders are the “heartbeat” of a team’s success.
“It’s the water in Philly or something happens that everything gets screwed up,” Tortorella said earlier this season. “No one expected Carter leaving and forcing 'Ers' into this situation. Then it’s just a domino effect with these other guys… I’m not sure where it all goes, but it is what it is. We have to deal with it.”
So what in the name of Bernard Marcel Parent is the reason the Flyers have been a goalie graveyard for so long?
For every Bernie Parent, Pelle Lindbergh (whose career was cut short by his tragic death) or Ron Hextall, there were dozens of flops. And when they did find a goalie with elite potential – hello, Sergei Bobrovsky – they traded him in arguably the worst deal in franchise history.
The goalie carousel looked like it had finally stopped when Hart arrived in 2018-19. He brought stability and confidence to the team. As a rookie, he equalled an NHL record for most consecutive wins (eight) while under 21. He had a 2.83 GAA and .917 save percentage that season. In his first six years, he was mostly solid despite having a weak team in front of him.
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The Issue Begins
When Hart left the team midway through last season – he was 25 at the time – goaltending became an issue for the Flyers.
Ersson, thrust into the No. 1 goalie spot, played gallantly in 2023-24 before being worn down by his extensive use. This year, he has been extremely inconsistent (3.00 GAA, .886 save percentage), looking more like a No. 2 goaltender than a reliable No. 1.
Fedotov, a 6-foot-7, 214-pounder, has been given a chance to show his Olympic success – he led Russia to a silver medal in 2022 – and strong KHL play would translate to the NHL. He hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunity, however. Witness his 3.21 GAA and .877 save percentage in 24 games this season.
So the Flyers’ rebuild has taken a significant step backward.
Oh, there are some promising goaltender prospects in the system, but they aren’t ready, and the fans are getting restless. That might cause GM Danny Briere to add a veteran goaltender in free agency, someone who can steady the ship as the team tries to become relevant.
Jake Allen, Frederik Andersen, Anton Forsberg, Ilya Samsonov, David Rittich, and Matt Murray are some of the veterans that are expected to be UFAs this summer.
Maybe Briere goes that route. Or maybe he stays with his unproven goaltenders and tries to spend money on free-agent centers, such as Sam Bennett or Ryan Donato, who also plays wing.
Whatever the Flyers do, they must soon find a goaltender – at some point – who is capable of avoiding the long losing streaks that have plagued them during their playoff-drought years.
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