With Two Goalies Signed, Martin Jones is Likely Done For Flyers
By Scott Cole
The Flyers offseason has been fairly quiet, but now is picking up steam after hiring a new coach. Outside of locking up a few minor depths pieces, the Flyers have signed Igor Fedotov to an entry level deal and just re-signed Felix Sandstrom to a two year deal. These moves likely signal the end of the road for Flyers backup Martin Jones.
Jones is a nine year veteran who’s done his time. He was a young backstop in Los Angeles, winning a cup there, and then in a flurry of deals was flipped to Boston for a first round pick and then to San Jose for a first round pick.
He flourished as the Sharks’ netminder for his first four seasons, topping the 30 win total each year. In 2015–16, he was second in the league with six shutouts (Chicago’s Corey Crawford had seven). He also helped the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in team history, recording three shutouts in the playoffs. The Sharks would fall to the Penguins in six games, but Jones was solid.
But in 2019-20, there was a coaching change as the team struggled. New head coach, Bob Boughner favored having a goalie tandem and split time between Jones and Aaron Dell. Over time, Dell received more of the share of goaltending duties.
Hitting the free agent market for the first time, Jones came to Philly. While he was expected to pitch in, he was also here to help mentor young goalie Carter Hart in a similar way that Brian Elliott had done. Hart had a bounce back year thanks to Jones’s tutelage.
Jones himself had mediocre year, starting in 33 games, winning 12 of them on a losing team, but posting a .900 save percentage with a career high 3.42 GAA. Jones started quite a few games near the end of the season as Hart was shut down and many other Flyers were out with injuries.
To be fair, the Flyers weren’t very good in front of him. Still, they are looking to restock and reload with the free agency and trade market. Signing both Fedotov and Sandstrom shows that they are not going to invest a lot of money in a veteran backup. So, while Jones did a good job as a backup, they are likely letting him hit the market again.
It’s possible he could come back as insurance policy if Hart’s injuries are severe or if the two young goalies are not up to the task or get injured themselves (Remember the year of eight goalies!). But a reunion is most likely unlikely right now.