If the Flyers could acquire a Stanley Cup champion goalie, would you do it? If you knew a team was desperate for draft picks and trying to shed salary, would you take advantage of that? If a team with a reliable goaltender wanted off the only team he knew, would you see if he would accept a trade to come to Philadelphia?
I ask these questions because we know that the biggest hole moving forward for the Flyers is the one in the net. If you check the free agency market, there are not a lot of great options. Ville Husso might be the best choice (yikes!). Good teams have good goalies and don't want to get rid of them. John Gibson might be available, but he comes with some baggage.
What if the Flyers could acquire a goaltender who has limited baggage, is locked in for two years (or longer), and does not have to give up too much? Would you do it? Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Jordan Binnington.
Why Binnington Makes Sense for the Flyers
Binnington guided the Blues to a Stanley Cup win in 2019 in his rookie season. Along the way, he finished second for the Calder Trophy and fifth in the Vezina voting. In his eight-year career, he's won 173 games with 18 shutouts. He sports a career save percentage of .907 and a GAA of 2.78. Those are solid numbers. Even last year, he won 28 of his 54 starts with a .900 save percentage and a GAA of 2.69. Those are numbers that Flyers fans would LOVE to have.
He also starred during this year's biggest (non-playoff) stage. At the Four Nations Tournament, Binnington excelled. He posted a 2.37 GAA with a .907 save percentage to boot. He played in four games with a 3-1-0 record to become the tournament's wins leader.
So, what's up with him? Why would the Blues want to lose a guy like that? Well, it starts with the Blues. After winning their first and only Cup in 2019, they've taken a turn. In the six seasons following their championship season, they've made the playoffs four times and have only gotten past the first round once. They've made a few trades that haven't exactly gone their way, while others have worked out, but left them cash-strapped. Speaking of trades, they have traded away a lot of draft assets and have gotten older.
This is a team that is strapped for cash, and Binnington is their best tradable asset. He also has two years left on his contract, which pays 6 million a year. While he hasn't asked for or demanded a trade, he does have a no-trade clause that he'd have to waive.
What Would It Cost?
The Blues have three draft picks this summer: 1st, 5th, and 6th rounds. They have no second-round picks over the next three seasons. Guess who has a lot of picks? The Flyers do!
The Flyers could have some cash to work with this summer. They could probably take on more of his salary if the Blues wanted some picks. That gives the Blues more flexibility to spend money where they need, but gives the Flyers a solid goaltender in the net. Perhaps one of the lesser first-round picks and a package of picks (maybe a 2nd rounder and 4th rounder, or a 2nd rounder this year and one next year) could do it.
The beauty of this for the Flyers is that they get a controllable veteran goalie who they only need to commit to for two years. Ersson can slide in as backup and learn from the veteran. Maybe Ersson can win the job back in a few years. Maybe one of the young goaltending prospects, such as Carson Bjarnason, might be ready at that point. If things work out with Binnington, he can be extended. If not, they could certainly flip him for more assets.
The thing about goaltenders is that they can last a long time in this league. Ed Belfour played until he was 41. Martin Brodeur played until he was 42. Marc-André Fleury just retired at the age of 40. Binnington will be 32 this year. He could have some best years ahead of him.
If the Blues are actively shopping him, they could have several suitors. However, the Flyers have the trade assets necessary. Even if they want to keep some of the draft picks and ship off some prospects that they are losing faith in, they could throw them in the deal as well. One of the first-rounders would probably have to be sacrificed to get Binnington. But if that is what it would take to acquire a goaltender of his caliber, I'd do it in a heartbeat. It would probably take a package to get him. Something like this:
Binnington could be the best option for the Flyers. There aren't a lot of goalies hitting the free agent market that would help them. Between Gibson and Binnington, I'd take Binnington any day. If you're only paying 3-6M, considering that Ivan Fedotov is making 3.275 million, that's a steal. Let's see what the Blues would take, let's see if Binnington would come to Philly, and let's make this deal happen.
However, if that cost is too much, there could be another option with the same team. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Joel Hofer.
Why Hofer Makes Sense for the Flyers
Hofer is a soon-to-be 25-year-old goalie from Canada. He's played parts of four seasons in the NHL, with the last two as the backup for Binnington. In these last two seasons, he's won 42 of his 74 starts with a GAA of 2.65, a .909 save percentage, and three shutouts. That's not bad. Even better, he'll be an RFA this year.
He is currently making $775,000 with the Blues. They are projected to have around 5 million to spend in 2025-26. If the Flyers were to offer Hofer a contract around $3 million a year, it would be tough for the Blues to match. The Flyers only have to cough up a second-round pick. For a young goalie, that's not a big price to pay and would be less than what getting Binnington would take. St. Louis may also be more willing to give up a younger guy than give up their long-time hero as well.
Or if the Blues were to match the offer, they'd have to seek a trade somewhere else. Perhaps they would stick with the younger goalie and offer Binnington to the Flyers. After all, we saw Pittsburgh dump Marc-Andre Fleury in favor of Matt Murray. Perhaps, with the Flyers taking on more of his salary as cap relief, the cost to acquire Binnington would be minimal.
The Blues are in a financial band, much like Toronto. This is where the Flyers could capitalize on another team's misfortune and come out on top. One of St Louis's goalies could come to Philly. Paired up with Ersson, the Flyers would have (hopefully) some stability in net. From there, the team could build out and work on their future.