Could Flyers Draft Hart’s Replacement in 2023?

The Philadelphia Flyers are a team in flux right now. There are issues with some veteran players and whether or not they will be around next year. Some younger guys may be ready to take the next step in their development while others may have to go. And then, there are the draft needs.

If you were to look at this roster, you would automatically say that the Flyers need to focus on a top line center or goal scoring winger. Some, who may not be happy at the state of the Flyers defense could suggest that they draft yet another blueliner. Surely, goaltending is not a high priority…right? However….

The Flyers have quite a few major needs right now. One of them is cap relief. Carter Hart, who had a bounce back year, has one year left on his rookie contract. He will be making $3,979,000 this year, which is a real steal considering how well he has played on a bad team. He will be an unrestricted free agent following this season. How much can the Flyers pay him? Is he willing to sign an extension? Are the Flyers willing to sign him to an extension?

Now, this is all speculative, as well as pretty much anything that deals with drafts, trades, free agents, etc. But if Hart and/or the Flyers are unable/unwilling to sign an extension, we need to look at other options. Right now, we have two in house options: Sam Ersson and Felix Sandstrom.

Ersson showed some promise at times but struggled down the stretch. Sandstrom struggled a lot during the season and did not give fans a whole lot of confidence. Another goalie, Ivan Fedotov, might have been an option, but it’s unlikely he will be able to leave Russia any time soon. After that, the goalie pipeline is pretty bare for the Flyers.

Because of the needs of the Flyers, there have been many who have tossed the idea that the team may flip Hart, one of their few strong assets, for a bunch of draft picks and/or prospects. His injury history also plays into this as he has sat out the end of the last few seasons.

Now, a smart Flyers fan would say, “Don’t do it!” Most of these rumors are driven by sportswriters and “experts” who have their own ideas of what to do. Remember. most NFL draft experts felt that the Eagles were 100% going after Bijan Robinson. We saw how that turned out.

But if Daniel Briere is thinking about moving Hart for picks and prospects, what could the Flyers draft? Could the Flyers draft his replacement in this draft?

The short answer is no. This is not a strong goalie class and there are no goalies that are expected to go in the first round. The top two goalie prospects, Michael Hrabal and Carson Bjarnason, are projected to go to mid-late second round. Guess what, the Flyers don’t have a second round pick. However, they have two third and fourth rounders. Some decent prospects may creep into the third round or fourth rounds and it would be a smart idea to draft one of them. And it is possible that after a few years of development in international competition, junior/international league play, and AHL seasoning one of them could end up replacing Hart at some point.

But if you are thinking that the Flyers will use their first round pick on a goalie, you are highly mistaken. There are no strong goalie prospects that are trending that high right now. And to get rid of Hart right now would be massively shortsighted unless you got a massive haul in return. He’s the best goaltender this team has had since Ron Hextall. That’s not something to take lightly.

The Flyers have a lot of needs right now. And while they could easily use a stable backup goalie option, it’s best to either stick with Ersson or find a veteran on the free agent market for cheap. You can take a flier on a mid to low level pick and hope you strike gold, but its best not to waste a high pick on a goaltender this season. With Hart between the pipes, we’re good. There are other needs to be filled right now.