The Philadelphia Flyers don’t have many holes to fill on their roster this offseason. Well, at least ones that can be easily found through free agency.
This offseason’s free-agency class is particularly lackluster, although John Carlson could be the perfect fit. Outside of him, Darren Raddysh, and a few other veterans who will be overpaid, most teams will try to use free agency to fill in smaller gaps.
One position where the Flyers have a few questions this offseason is between the pipes.
Dan Vladar is under contract through next year, but he could be extended after July 1, and we don’t know if he’ll be able to replicate the success he had this season.
Then there is Samuel Ersson, a restricted free agent that the Flyers should move on from this offseason. Ersson was a decent backup to end the season, but that doesn’t overshadow his longer track record. If the Flyers want to improve their chances of getting back to the playoffs next season, they need a stronger goalie to pair with Vladar.
Danny Briere and the Flyers front office identified Vladar as their goalie target last offseason, and the veteran netminder saw an opportunity in Philadelphia. Briere would be smart to look for another Vladar-type goalie this summer to pair with the Czech netminder next season.
Let’s take a look at a few t goalies that the Flyers should have their eye on this summer, in order of their projected cap hit per AFP Analytics.
Could Sergei Bobrovsky return to Philadelphia?
Projected contract: $5.59M for two years
2025-26 stats: 27-23-1, .877 SV%, 3.07 GAA, 4 shutouts
Sergei Bobrovsky is the most decorated goalie on the market. He won two Stanley Cups in Florida, so he shouldn’t go ring chasing, but there are also questions about the aging goalie’s longevity.
Bobrovsky posted a .915 SV% three years ago, which went down to .905, and then .877 this past season. He’ll be 38 years old by the time next season starts, and his days of being a team’s starting goalie may be behind him.
But will the goalie that the Flyers gave up on want to return to Philadelphia? It could be possible with his former teammate in charge, and a budding Russian star needing some guidance.
The Flyers should at least kick the tires on Bobrovsky. He would provide a healthy competition for the starting role with Vladar, and might even accept a contract knowing that he’ll be the 1B in a tandem.
If Vladar gets hurt, the Flyers know they can rely on Bobrovsky to at least hold down the fort, and he brings playoff experience as well. A multi-year pact with Bobrovsky could also allow him to mentor Yegor Zavragin if the Russian netminder comes over from the KHL a year early.
Ultimately, though, Bobrovsky ending his career in Philadelphia feels far-fetched.
Is Stuart Skinner a fit for the Flyers?
Projected contract: $4.39M for two years
2025-26 stats: 23-17-9, .888 SV%, 2.92 GAA, 2 shutouts
Now we’re getting to a more realistic option with Stuart Skinner. We even wrote last offseason that the Flyers should trade for Skinner.
The former Oilers netminder has had his fair share of struggles in the playoffs with the Oilers, but that was behind a porous defense, and he did still get them to the Stanley Cup Final.
Skinner showed some promise in Pittsburgh after the Oilers swapped him for Tristan Jarry. His overall numbers still don’t look great, but it’s not as if the Penguins’ defense was unstoppable, as the Flyers saw in the playoffs.
Skinner will turn 28 in November, so he’s in the right age range when goalies usually figure things out, or sink to the bottom.
While everyone remembers Skinner’s follies, he did post a .913 SV% in his first full season and .905 as a 25-year-old. Even his .896 SV% in the 2024-25 season would’ve been an improvement on what the Flyers had in net.
Skinner has the tools and experience, and he’s young enough that a change of scenery in a strong defensive environment could benefit him. Signing him for two years to at least be a backup to Vladar while the prospects get more seasoning wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Having said that, teams with a higher ceiling than the Flyers may also come calling on Skinner, who has played at least 50 games in his four full seasons.
Can Connor Ingram follow in Dan Vladar’s footsteps?
Projected contract: $2.99M for two years
2025-26 stats: 16-10-3, .899 SV%, 2.60 GAA, 2 shutouts
Connor Ingram might be this writer’s favorite option out there. He’s dealt with things in the past, going into the player assistance program for mental health issues, but he appears to be past that after a solid season in Edmonton.
Ingram shared the crease with Jarry, Skinner, and Cal Pickard in Edmonton this season, and he posted the best save percentage of the bunch.
He’s also been impressive in a starting role before, going 23-21-3 with a .907 SV% and 2.91 GAA along with six shutouts in 2023-24 with an Arizona Coyotes team that was treading water. He then missed some time the following season in Utah, but bounced back nicely in Edmonton.
Ingram just turned 29 in March, so he’s also in the range where he can improve his game a bit. He seems like a guy who could follow in Vladar’s footsteps in Philadelphia. There is an opportunity to join the Flyers’ tandem, and 30 starts with a save percentage just under .900 is all Philadelphia needs behind its new starter.
Interestingly, Ingram’s has the same agent as Noah Juulsen and Lane Pederson, so the Flyers have a working relationship with his representatives.
Ingram wouldn’t break the bank and could surprise some people in a tandem role.
