Philadelphia Flyers: Who Else Could Fill The Backup Goaltending Role?

The Philadelphia Flyers need somebody to fill the backup goaltending role, could they go with an outside of the box candidate?

We all know by now that Carter Hart, barring disaster, will be the starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2019-20 season and beyond. He far and away earned the role with his play this past season and helped kind of challenge for a Wild Card spot at the end of the year. With that being said, General Manager Chuck Fletcher has to find a suitable backup to relieve Hart at times. The obvious, and most likely, two options are Brian Elliott and Cam Talbot but who else could they acquire to serve behind the 20-year-old net-minder?

There aren’t a whole lot of intriguing options on the Unrestricted Free Agent market, to be completely honest, but a couple of names are at least worth mentioning. Curtis McElhinney had a solid year backing up former Flyers goaltender Petr Mrazek for the Carolina Hurricanes. McElhinney posted a 2.58 Goals-Against Average (GAA) with a .912 save percentage (SV%) in 33 games with the Hurricanes and a 2.00 GAA along with a .930 SV% in five playoff games as well. He was also tremendous for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets the two years prior, showing some consistency to his game. The 11-year NHL veteran would be an excellent mentor for Hart but isn’t getting any younger at the ripe age of 36. He could fall off at any given moment, which might leave Fletcher feeling skeptical in signing him.

Another candidate on the UFA market is Keith Kinkaid. Kinkaid had a notably down season with Columbus and the New Jersey Devils with a 3.36 GAA and a .891 SV% but outside of that has been able to keep his save percentage above the .900% mark in the four seasons before 2018-19. He’d be another guy who could serve in that mentorship role, having six campaigns under his belt. It’s pretty concerning that the Blue Jackets didn’t play him once after acquiring him from the Devils for a mid-round pick, though. Kinkaid was healthy, but Head Coach John Tortorella opted for the younger Joonas Korpisalo instead. That’s a cause for concern since Columbus surrendered an asset in order to obtain Kinkaid’s services and could be enough for Fletcher to look elsewhere.

The Flyers could also look to offer-sheet a Restricted Free Agent, though it’s unlikely, and try their hand at Malcolm Subban. The brother of Nashville Predator defenseman P.K. Subban had a mediocre season with the Vegas Golden Knights, posting a 2.93 GAA with a .902 SV% in 21 games for the team. Subban wouldn’t fit the mentor position but is worth giving a look since the Knights are pretty strapped for cash heading into the summer.

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, Elliott and Talbot are Philadelphia’s best bets moving forward, with Talbot being the best given his durability and off-ice relationship with Hart. I’d be surprised to see Fletcher go outside of those two but hey, you never truly know.