The Philadelphia Flyers have a dilemma on their hands, but they need to address the looming uncertainty in their crease sooner rather than later.

Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are both pending unrestricted free agents, and while their inconsistency this season has been well documented, general manager Ron Hextall would be wise to decide on their respective fates before the March 1 trade deadline.

Neuvirth has been the better netminder lately, allowing only six goals in his last five games and earning victories in three of his last four. His numbers in all of the 19 games he's appeared in this season aren't as favorable (9-5-1, 2.67 GAA, 897 save percentage), but the Flyers remain on the cusp of the playoff picture thanks in large part to his recent play.

The Czech-born goalie entered the season as the backup to Mason, and he's being paid like one with a cap hit of only $1.625 million. That's great value considering his contributions, but he's been getting the majority of the opportunities lately because the starter simply hasn't been good enough.

Mason has appeared in only one of the Flyers' five games this month, and he's been inconsistent all season, winning only 16 of 39 decisions with a pedestrian .900 GAA and a paltry 2.90 GAA in 42 games.

He's on the books for $4.1 million in the final season of the three-year, $12.3-million extension he signed in 2014, and while that contract could be worse, it's his less than reliable play that makes him a difficult sell in a potential trade.

So what can Hextall do?

Gauge Mason's value, even if it's low

If he hasn't already, the GM should start putting out feelers on Mason to see what other teams are willing to give up, even if his calls are met with reluctance or resistance.

Mason is by no means elite, but he's proven he can shoulder a heavy workload, and he has playoff experience that could benefit a club simply looking for goaltending depth.

That said, because of his status as a pending UFA, he'd likely be a rental, which means teams won't be eager to part with very much. Even so, netting a draft pick and/or another expiring contract could be preferable to signing him to an extension or losing him for nothing.

The questions for Hextall are whether an insignificant return is better than none at all, and whether he would consider re-signing Mason before he reaches free agency in the summer.

We wouldn't advise the latter.

Re-sign Neuvirth

Considering Neuvirth's own inconsistent play until recently, one route for the GM to take would be selling high on him while his value is at its peak. The problem with that route is that it's not ideal in the short term.

Like many NHL clubs, the Flyers are still within striking distance of a playoff spot, possessing the same number of points as the Toronto Maple Leafs, who hold the second wild-card spot in the East because they have two games in hand on Philadelphia.

Neuvirth is excelling at the moment, but even if he's overachieving, Hextall won't be able to justify trading away a goaltender playing as well as Neuvirth has of late while the Flyers remain in a playoff pursuit.

It would also leave the club with Mason and Anthony Stolarz, a largely unproven 23-year-old with only four NHL appearances under his belt, unless another goaltender was part of the package coming back.

That's why the most logical plan is to sign Neuvirth to a contract extension at some point before season's end. He's never played more than 48 games in a season, and he hasn't done that in six campaigns, but Hextall can't afford to trade him right now.

Figure out if Stolarz is ready

The Flyers' goalie of the future was excellent in his first NHL cameo earlier this season, posting a shutout and a pair of wins in the four-game look, but he hasn't been spectacular in parts of three campaigns with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Stolarz is a pending restricted free agent himself, but if Hextall feels his young netminder is prepared for an extended role at the NHL level, it will make parting with one of his two veterans academic.

There's always a chance Hextall opts to keep Mason and Neuvirth through the deadline, let them walk at season's end and then look to start fresh by adding a goalie in free agency, but there's no guarantee any reliable options will be available, particularly given the uncertainty of the upcoming expansion draft.

It's an unenviable position to be in, but it's not an impossible problem to solve.

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