The Philadelphia Flyers had an atrocious season last year from their goaltenders. The club registered a 3.45 GAA, good for 28th in the league, and a .879 SV%, which was dead last.
Samuel Ersson, the club’s de facto starting goalie, sported a 3.14 GAA and an .883 save percentage. Those were less than stellar numbers. But they were better than Ivan Fedotov and Alexei Kolosov’s. The two Russian netminders fared even worse than Ersson, with Kolosov registering a 3.59 GAA and an .867 save percentage.
Those abysmal numbers were part of the reason why the Flyers had a disastrous campaign. Now, to be fair, the poor showing can’t be blamed on the goalies alone. It wasn’t like the defense in front of them played at an elite level.
Granted, the defense did improve as the season went on. But the gutting at the trade deadline basically took the wind out of the Flyers’ sails. The underlying issues John Tortorella had behind closed doors further fueled the fire.
So, the solution, at least according to general manager Daniel Briere, was to sign free agent goalie Dan Vladar. Vladar spent the last four seasons in Calgary. But just by looking at his numbers, it’s evident that Vladar won’t be the solution to the Flyers’ goaltending issues.
Vladar has a lifetime 3.00 GAA and an .895 save percentage. That’s hardly what the Flyers need to turn their fortunes around. Vladar spent much of his time backing up Jacob Markstrom in Calgary. But when Markstrom was traded to the New Jersey Devils, it was rookie Dustin Wolf who unseated him.
As a result, the Flames were hardly upset to see Vladar go. The Flyers now have a career lifetime goalie making $3.35 million against the cap. Sure, that’s a luxury the team can afford now. But if fans believe Vladar can turn the goaltending situation around, they might have another thing coming.
Flyers hoping Vladar-Ersson tandem could be the solution
It’s evident that neither Vladar nor Ersson is going to be a full-time starter. Neither one is going to start 60 games and will the Flyers into the playoffs.
That’s why the best the Flyers can hope for is a Vladar-Ersson tandem that can hold the fort for much of the season. In many respects, such a tandem is wishful thinking. But it might just work.
Rick Tocchet’s influence this upcoming season could be enough to turn things around. The hope isn’t that Vladar and Ersson will suddenly morph into Sergei Bobrovsky and Connor Helleybuck. The hope lies in playing a solid defensive game in front of them.
The Flyers are banking on Tocchet turning the club’s defense around much the same way he did in Vancouver. If Philly can consistently play a solid defensive game in front of their goalies, Ersson and Vladar won’t have to be perfect. All they would need to be is average.
Those are major assumptions. But even a modest turnaround could bring the Flyers back into the fringes of the Eastern Conference playoff race this upcoming season.