Finally!  In news that Flyers fans have been waiting to hear since the team traded for Eric Lindros, Anthony SanFilippo is quoting a source from inside the organization that the team's number one priority is acquiring a young goalie this off season.

Obviously, this is but one anonymous source, so it is by no means a guarantee.  However, with the way this season has gone -- Emery, Boucher, Leighton, Backlund all getting hurt -- the team appears to finally want to resolve their goaltending issues once and for all.

The relevant portion of the quote:

"It's already been decided that our No. 1 priority for next season is to get a goalie. We have to go out and get that player and commit to him as our guy.

"It's probably going to mean somebody is going to have to be traded away, especially if we go after a young goalie on another team, but that's what we're going to have to do. We can't keep going the way we have been. The goalie has to be the most important target and we don't want to keep replacing one veteran with another. We want to get a guy who can be our goalie for several years.... We have to go in another direction."

You'll notice that there weren't any names mentioned in that quote, but SanFilippo proceeded to toss out Antti Niemi, Cory Schneider and Carey Price.

While it shouldn't need to be said, going out and acquiring any "young goalie" doesn't immediately mean you've acquired a guy who will "be our goalie for several years."  But the simple fact that the team is looking to do that via trade should at least instill some optimism among Flyers fans.

This also could mean that the team is not going to resign Ray Emery or Michael Leighton, though that isn't guaranteed.  Any trade with another team could mean Brian Boucher goes the other way, leaving the Flyers in need of a backup goalie. with Leighton or Johan Backlund being two possible targets.

But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.  The news today is that the team finally realizes they can't just keep signing veterans and hoping they have another run or two in them.  It also means that their many young goalie prospects (Joacim Eriksson, Nicola Riopel, Jacob De Serres, Adam Morrison) aren't any where near being ready to take the reins of the Flyers.

So, Flyers fans, rejoice.  But stay modest, since this is just a quote from an anonymous source.  Don't forget to head on over to SanFilippo's blog to get the whole quote and analysis.