Flyers goaltending, a tale as old as time. A hole that was once filled with Carter Hart has come back with a vengeance to rear its ugly head to the fanbase and front office again.
The Russian duo of Ivan Fedotov and Alexei Kolosov to backup Sam Ersson mustered up the second-worst goaltending in the NHL last year. All three goaltenders have one year left on the contracts and bring varying degrees of uncertainty.
First off, Ivan Fedotov is likely to start the 2025-26 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms due to his glaring need for tactical improvement. Kolosov is expected at Flyers' training camp this summer, but has proven he is anything but reliable or predictable. Although he has shown flashes of pure athleticism, his game is by no means complete or suitable for the NHL at the moment.
Sam Ersson is the closest thing the Flyers have to a starting goaltender. The 25 year-old Swede played his way on to the 2025 4 Nations roster as well as the 2025 World Championships this past season. When given the chance, Ersson impressed on the international stage.
However, his season in Philadelphia was anything but admirable. With a 3.14 GAA and a .883 SV%, Ersson left much to be desired in 47 games played. Going forward, the Flyers have made it clear that they're in need of a tandem, veteran goaltender to pair with Ersson in a 1A/1B role.
The most notable goaltending prospects in the Flyers' pipeline include Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin who are still one to two years away from making the jump to the NHL. Thus, one would assume Danny Briere and company would select a promising goaltending prospect to supplement this glaring need during the 2025 NHL draft this past weekend. Afer all, there's no guarantee Bjarnason or Zavragin will be bonafide number one goaltenders in the NHL.
Well, we all know what they say about assuming. The Flyers focused on drafting hulking skaters, but didn't draft a single goalie with their ten picks in this year's draft. So, let's assess which goalies were up for the taking that the Flyers didn't snag on Friday or Saturday.
Pyotr Andreyanov
Eight picks after the Flyers' controversial #12 pick selecting center Jack Nesbitt, the number one ranked international goalie was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Andreyanov is a six-foot, 207 lb. netminder of average size. The 18 year-old notched a .942 SV% and three shutouts in 35 games in Russia's junior league last season.
Andreyanov will require several more years of development prior to being NHL ready, but scouts feel his compete level and agility are incredibly desirable. Sounds a bit like an emerging Sergei Bobrovsky, doesn't it?
Semyon Frolov
Just three picks following the Flyers' selection of defenseman Carter Amico and one pick after their selection of left wing Jack Murtagh, the Carolina Hurricanes selected another Russian goalie in Semyon Frolov of the Russian Junior League (MHL) with the 41st pick. At 6'3" and 203 lbs., Frolov was assessed as the second ranked international goalie in this year's draft. Even with height working to his advantage and natural athleticism, Frolov still needs to make the jump from the MHL to the KHL and develop from there. Regardless, the goaltender did muster up a .921 SV% in 27 games.
Jack Ivankovic
If you're sensing a trend here, that's because there is. Immediately after the Flyers' selection of center Matthew Gard at pick 57, the Nashville Predators snagged Jack Ivankovic, hailing from the Brampton Steelheads (OHL). Perhaps the most technically sound goalie in this year's draft, Ivankovic (6 ft, 179 lbs.) boasts similar attributes to that of Juuse Saros.
Also sporting a smaller stature, Ivankovic maximizes his speed to excel in superb play-reading ability. Plus, he's a phenomenal stick handler and passer, skills that are somewhat tricky to master for today's young goaltenders. His 3.05 GAA and .903 SV% doesn't jump off the page, but he did win the OHL's top rookie goaltender in 2023-24.
It's worth reiterating that the NHL entry draft is comparable to gambling. Some picks will "hit" and some will miss, regardless of where they're selected early or late in the draft. Even so, many experts feel the Flyers should've at least secured one goaltending prospect in this year's draft.
Regardless, only time will tell if Briere and company will regret their decision or truly benefit from the skaters they chose. Either way, it seems the Flyers' front office has a great deal of faith in the upsides of Bjarnason and Zavragin.