Philadelphia Flyers: Trading Michal Neuvirth Makes Sense

It wouldn’t be totally out of the question for the Philadelphia Flyers to trade Michal Neuvirth.

At the beginning of the season, the Philadelphia Flyers had a bit of a goaltending controversy on their hands. Neither Steve Mason nor Michal Neuvirth were playing particularly well, even after the duo had become one of the more dynamic goalie tandems in the NHL last season. But with Neuvirth out of the lineup nursing a knee injury over the last month, Mason has reclaimed his spot as the Flyers’ No. 1 goaltender.

With the emergence of rookie Anthony Stolarz, who recorded his first career shutout in his second career game Sunday, it’s fair to wonder—could the Flyers opt to move Neuvirth to a team desperate for a goaltender?

Neuvirth is a fairly easy player to move. He’s in the final year of his inexpensive $1.5 million contract and is still in the prime of his career. And despite his recent struggles, Neuvirth was spectacular last season, sporting a 2.27 goals against average with a .924 save percentage.

All that considered, moving Neuvirth could be a risky move for the Flyers. Shipping off Neuvirth would put a lot of pressure on the 22-year-old Stolarz. Even though Stolarz has impressed in his first two NHL contests, there isn’t a whole lot you can pick up from such an alarmingly small sample size. At the same time, however, shutouts don’t just happen in the NHL. It may be a small sample size, but it’s hard not to be at least a little impressed with what Stolarz has done to start his career.

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Let’s also not forget about the Flyers’ deep pool of goalie prospects beyond Stolarz. Alex Lyon has received a heavy workload for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms since Stolarz was called up. Lyon currently sports a 2.57 goals against average with a .914 save percentage in 16 games.

Then there’s Carter Hart, who the Flyers selected in the second round of this year’s draft. Hart has been dominant in the WHL, allowing only 1.85 goals per game and stopping .928 percent of the shots he’s faced. Hart has played in 24 games this season and won 16 of them for the Everett Silvertips. He will likely be Team Canada’s starting goalie in this month’s World Junior Hockey Championships.

The Flyers are not lacking in goalie depth and losing Neuvirth wouldn’t change that. With Neuvirth set to hit the free-agent market this summer, there are likely more than a few teams willing to trade for his services, especially with the expansion draft looming.

Philadelphia’s goalies are playing the best they have all season with Neuvirth out of the lineup. This may just be a coincidence, but it seems entirely possible that Neuvirth could be the odd man out. If that’s the case, moving him would make sense. He’s cheap, he’s in the prime of his career, and he’s a reliable backup. You could even argue that he’s a competent starter. Neuvirth will certainly be a hot commodity come the trade deadline. It’s hard to imagine the Flyers wouldn’t at least listen to offers.

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