For years, goaltending has been the bane of the Philadelphia Flyers' existence. This year, however, has been a different story, as offseason signing Dan Vladar has become the team's starter. Per Money Puck, Vladar is 12th in the league with 12.7 Goals Saved Above Expected and has a solid .907 save percentage. He's the main reason the Flyers have been flirting with a playoff spot most of the season, and has a case to win the team's MVP award after Game 82.
His backup is another story. Sam Ersson's minus-14.6 GSAx is the third-worst in the NHL, and his .867 SV% is the second-worst among goaltenders with a minimum of 15 games played. It's the last year of his $1.45-million AAV bridge deal, and he's set to become a restricted free agent this summer--and with how he's played this year, it may be best for the Flyers to let the 26-year-old Swede go.
However, since the Winter Olympic break, Sam Ersson has won all four of his starts and stopped all three shots he saw in relief of Vladar in a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers. Through those five games, Ersson has a .931 SV% and 1.40 GAA. He's not just been a trustworthy backup the last month; he's been a darn good goalie.
This is a small sample size, though. Is it enough to undo all the damage Ersson's poor play did earlier in the season, and what we've seen from Ersson over his entire tenure with the Flyers? Probably not. Ersson's play in January is a major reason the Flyers are on the playoff bubble right now. In his nine January games, most while Vladar was sidelined with injury, Ersson had an .835 SV% and 3.7 GAA; the Flyers only won two of his starts. In 139 career games, Ersson has a lousy .884 SV% and 3.03 GAA, which doesn't scream "NHL goaltender."
Maybe Ersson has turned a corner, and what we've seen recently is going to be his new normal, but the Flyers cannot risk running it back with Ersson behind Vladar. If the Flyers extend him on a "show me" sort of contract, Ersson can compete for a job in camp, but general manager Danny Briere must look for answers in net elsewhere this summer. It'll be great if Ersson's strong play squeaks the Flyers into the playoffs, but that shouldn't be enough to convince management to double down on this tandem.