The Philadelphia Flyers starting and backup goaltenders for the 2019-20 season are set in stone, but who would be the first call-up if one of them were to get hurt?
Coming into the offseason, General Manager and Team President Chuck Fletcher knew he had to get the Philadelphia Flyers a goaltender to backup Carter Hart for the 2019-20 campaign. He did so in a relatively quick fashion, bringing back veteran Brian Elliott just days prior to the free-agent period getting underway. There was speculation that the team would opt to bring back Cam Talbot instead due to his off-ice relationship with Hart, but the former Edmonton Oilers goalie wanted a chance to start and signed with the Calgary Flames for slightly more money than Elliott.
With Elliott aboard, the Flyers have their number one, and two goaltenders solidified coming into training camp and preseason. Nobody is going to go in and take the backup and especially starting roles as both have earned their spots on the Flyers roster. What isn’t entirely known is who would be called up first if or when one of Hart and Elliott get hurt. Elliott’s dealt with his fair share of injuries during his time with the Flyers, and even Hart went down during the 2018-19 season, which caused him to miss the 2019 Stadium Series game. In all likelihood, one of them will spend time away from the ice with some sort of ailment, although the hockey gods do owe the Flyers a favor for making them go through eight different goaltenders this past year.
Among the options to get called up would be Alex Lyon, Jean-Francois Berube, and Felix Sandstrom. I don’t see Kirill Ustimenko being in consideration as I think he’ll be in the ECHL to begin the year. Now, Philadelphia would more than likely want one of the potential call-ups to have NHL experience, taking Sandstrom out of the mix. Perhaps Sandstrom would earn the promotion if he blows the competition away in the AHL, but until that happens, Lyon and Berube have the leg up. Choosing between Berube and Lyon is pretty much a coin flip on the surface, with neither of them having successful stints last time they were in the NHL. Lyon’s younger and has been in the organization longer, but Berube has more NHL games under his belt. It’ll come down to who’s performing the best at the time and whether Fletcher values experience over youth and time spent in the organization.
If I had to guess, I think Lyon would get the nod. I’m not sure how much crease-time Berube will see with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with Lyon and Sandstrom in the picture, but it’s possible that the young Swede begins the year in Reading with Ustimenko, too, though I wouldn’t be in favor of that decision. It’s time to find out if Lyon is truly an NHL-level goaltender or not and giving him the first opportunity to fill in for an injured goalie is the best way to figure that out this coming season.