Philadelphia Flyers Year End Reviews: Goaltenders

With the Flyers season over a few weeks ago, we can now take a step back and evaluate how the players on this team fared this year. We'll start with the goalies, a hot-button issue for the Flyers fan faithful.

Sam Ersson

If I were to tell you back in September that the Flyers would be in playoff contention for most of this season and it was largely due to Sam Ersson playing 51 games, you would've said I was nuts. In what was, essentially, his rookie season, he won 23 games, lost 19, and lost seven in overtime. He had four shutouts, a 2.82 GAA, and a save percentage of .890. When you factor in that the Flyers burned him out over the last few weeks, those numbers are pretty good.

One thing to keep in mind. He's played in 63 games over two seasons and has five career shutouts. Carter Hart, in 227 games, has six shutouts. Is Ersson the long-term guy? Is he someone who could be great trade bait, like when the Hurricanes traded Alex Nedeljkovic after finishing third in the Calder voting in 2021? We'll find out. As of right now, he seems to be the guy. He seems to have a bright future.

Grade: B+

Ivan Fedotov

After a crazy story that would make a great Hollywood movie, Fedotov made it to Philadelphia. When he arrived, the Flyers were in the process of burning out Ersson. Fedotov was thrown into the woods in three games, losing in his only start. In his three appearances, he posted a .811 save percentage and a GAA of 4.95.

He never got time to adjust to North American hockey, which is different from the European style you would have found in the KHL. We can excuse the small sample size for now. But the 6'7" goalie just inked a two-year deal. We'll see if he is worth it.

Grade: Incomplete

Cal Petersen

He was a salary dump as part of the Ivan Provorov trade. The LA Kings had given up on this once-promising goalie. He didn't find what he had lost while in Philadelphia. He appeared in five games, starting four of them. He sported a 2-2 record with a 3.90 GAA and a save percentage of .864.

He spent a lot of the season in Lehigh Valley. He struggled initially but regained his confidence in time for the Phantoms' playoff run. He finished the AHL season with a 10-15-3 record, two shutouts, a 2.71 GAA, and a .902 save percentage. Maybe a strong playoff showing could get him a look next year. Or maybe he is a career AHL goalie like former Flyer Neil Little. We'll see what this summer has for him.

Final Grade: *D
*Extra credit for a Phantoms Calder Cup Run

Felix Sandstrom

He didn't get to play a whole lot this year, but when he did, he made Petersen look like Dominik Hasek. Honestly, that's probably a good thing. Sandstrom appeared in five games, started three, and had a 1-2 record with a 3.87 GAA and an abysmal .823 save percentage. In his 26 career starts as a Flyer, he has won four.

To be fair to him, it's not like the team last year was very good when he played. However, he never found his groove. Maybe he can still make it in front of a better team or some foreign league. After all, he's just 27 years old. However, he is a free agent and doesn't fit into this team's plans. Wish you the best of luck, man.

Final Grade: F

Carter Hart

It’s impossible to talk about Carter Hart’s season as it was because, in the end, his numbers don’t matter. With all respect to the victim, what he did on the ice is a moot point. Hart will no longer be in the organization and faces legal repercussions for his alleged actions.