The Philadelphia Flyers are in a unique situation right now that, truth be told, most other NHL teams would be dying to have. They have an established star goalie in Carter Hart. They also have three NHL capable goalies who could all be capable backups or, in a pinch, take over starting duties in between the pipes. However, NHL rosters are limited in size. That means someone, at least for the meantime, is going to be out.
Sam Ersson came up last year in December. He had spent the previous year on the sidelines as he was dealing with injuries. It was supposed to be his first season starting for the Phantoms, and his first game, didn’t go so well. With Felix Sandstrom sick, Ersson got his first start against the mighty Carolina Hurricanes. He was chased from his NHL debut after five goals in his first 30 minutes of playing time. Hart relieved him and then got injured, forcing Ersson to go back in.
After being thrown to the wolves in Raleigh, he rebounded, winning his second-career start against San Jose. In his fifth professional game, he shutout the Sabres. Overall, he had a goals against average of 3.07 and a save percentage of .899%
In fact, if you take away that first game, Ersson’s stats are actually pretty good when you consider he was on a team that was still trying to figure out what it wants to be. Minus his opening night, he went 6-3-2 with a .906 save percentage and a GAA of 2.81. For a call up and part time backup, those are really good numbers.
Ersson is in an interesting spot as he is competing with Cal Petersen and Sandstrom to be Hart’s backup goalie. Petersen’s play last year was super sketchy and he ended up spending most of the year exiled to the AHL ranks after being expected to compete for the Los Angeles Kings’ starting job. Sandstrom has just one season left on his contract. It’s possible the Flyers will keep him around to see what he has or if he is worth trading away. Likewise, Hart’s contract is up at the end of the season and his future is unclear as of right now.
This brings us back to Ersson. Most likely, he will be sent down to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to take over the starting duties there and will be most likely be sent there with whomever loses out between Sandstrom and Petersen. It is possible that the Flyers could trade Sandstrom, or even Hart, during the preseason if some team loses one of their goalies. Most likely, a move like that would happen closer to the trade deadline in the spring.
The Flyers will evaluate what Hart, Petersen, and Sandstrom bring to the table. However, of the three, only Petersen is signed beyond this year. Ersson, meanwhile, was the recipient of a two-year deal this summer. Ersson showed the Philadelphia brass enough to keep him around past this season. That’s a commitment they are giving him.
He probably won’t make many starts at the NHL level this year, barring trades or injuries. However, the deal he received shows the investment that the Flyers are putting into him. Daniel Briere and company are looking further ahead. In that regard, we’ll see more of Ersson in the years ahead.