How the Philadelphia Flyers can fix their goaltender issues
By Jason Fedok
There’s no question that this season has been frustrating for the Orange and Black. At 5-7-0, there are issues with this team, with goaltending being at the top. Here’s how the Philadelphia Flyers can fix that.
The biggest issue with the Philadelphia Flyers right now outside of the coaching staff is goaltending. It’s been the Achilles’ heel of this team for years now and with three different goaltenders making appearances, no one has proved themselves as the top choice. If the team has any plans of making the playoffs again this year, they need to figure this out and find a guy, either within the organization or outside, who can be consistent.
Brian Elliott, Calvin Pickard, and Michal Neuvirth aren’t guys who can put this team on their back and that’s concerning because the offense has been ineffective at points this season. So what can be done?
The talk around this organization and its prospects is all about the young goaltender Carter Hart. Although he has a very bright future, he hasn’t necessarily been great in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. So far he’s struggled, allowing just under four goals per game with the Phantoms and a save percentage of about 88 percent. If he is struggling this much against minor-league talent, he’s probably not ready for the NHL and that may keep him in the minors for the full 2018-2019 season.
Out of the goalies in the AHL, 25-year-old Alex Lyon has the best chance at being called up to Philadelphia. In two games this season with Lehigh Valley, Lyon’s save percentage is around 92.5 percent and he has proven that he can carry a team in crucial games. Last year he came up huge for the Phantoms in the playoffs, making 94 saves on 95 shots in a 2-1 victory in the fifth overtime against the Charlotte Checkers. In those playoffs his stats were great, having a 1.98 goals against average and a save percentage of 94 percent.
If the Flyers want to look outside of the franchise for help between the pipes, there may not be too much available. The only option that appears to be worth it would be to bring in a familiar face. Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, 30, is a name that has been circulating around as someone who could be moved, along with teammate Artemi Panarin. Bobrovsky is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and his current contract carries a cap hit of around $7.5 million, but he has been one of the league’s best goaltenders since being traded by Philadelphia in 2012.
At age 30, he still has some gas left in the tank. TSN listed him seventh on their Trade Bait Board so there is no questioning whether or not he is available. There’s no telling what the Blue Jackets would want in return for him, but if the Flyers are still serious about this season, they should at the very least inquire about him.
If the asking price is too high, then the Flyers will have to look within their own system and right now, Lyon is a lot closer to NHL-ready than Hart. Hart is still the future here in Philadelphia, but rushing him when he hasn’t been great in the AHL this season may hurt the Flyers more than help them.
dark. Next. The Flyers need to be more consistent.
It isn’t clear what the plans are with calling up either of the young goalies, but what is clear is that the current group of goalies in Philadelphia do not have the talent to lead the Flyers on a run this year. Given Neuvirth and Elliott’s injury history as well, they can’t be trusted to be available for the full season. The pressure is on General manager Ron Hextall to figure this out by either trading for someone, most likely Bobrovsky, or bringing up Lyon.