The Philadelphia Flyers this season had one of their more tumultuous situations in goal, which, considering the team’s notorious history with the position, is saying a hell of a lot. Following the sexual assault charge against Carter Hart, the team went from having one of the more youthful and promising one-two punches in the league to having to look forward for a life where the aforementioned goalie was no longer in the picture.
The Flyers doubled down the last half of the season on Sam Ersson, going from possibly seeing 25 games of action this season to making 51 appearances. He was in goal for 2809 minutes which was a slight reduction from the combined 2022-23 workload he had split between Lehigh Valley in the AHL (2512 minutes) and the dozen games he played for Philadelphia (645 minutes, for a total of 3157 minutes). But the workload was mammoth as coach John Tortorella was using Ersson come hell or high water after seeing Cal Petersen and Felix Sandstrom fail miserably. Well, both hell and high water descended on the Flyers’ goalies during the stretch with an embarrassing save percentage, the eight-game losing streak and hopes of a nearly secure playoff spot before the trade deadline down the drain.
If there was any bright spot regarding goaltending it was that help was on the way. Just not the way anyone anticipated. Many suspected the Flyers would go the tired, cliched but almost criticism-free route of signing a veteran UFA goalie on the relative cheap this summer like they did with Martin Jones, Brian Elliott and Ray Emery the last decade. But Danny Briere had other plans. If Ersson falters in 2023-24 the way he did in the latter half of 2022-23 there’s now a reliable “out-of-the-box” answer to stem the tide or stop the bleeding.
With the addition of Ivan Fedotov, the Flyers managed to get some distance and change the narrative from the horrible situation that played out in early February with Hart. A Russian goalie drafted in 2015 and on a Russian ship as part of military service less than two years ago ends up signing with Philadelphia? Not only that but makes his debut being shelled by the New York Islanders and more than holds his own? Pass the popcorn! And while some might loathe the cap hit, I would much rather test a new goaltender in a rebuilding process than dust off some has been who is a stop gap more than anything else.
Given Fedotov’s signing to an extension, it’s almost inconceivable he isn’t given a chance to prove himself in the two years he’s here for. If it pans out and Fedotov’s imposing size, agility and mental toughness shine through you’re looking at someone who, despite turning 28 this coming November, will be giving Ersson a serious run for his money or could be given the starter’s role. And be in the mix a lot longer than two years. It could mean Ersson is still given the starter’s role to begin the season but could be on a much shorter leash than ever before. On the other hand, if Fedotov’s fiery logo on his mask is the only thing red-hot about him and he still appears to be breaking in his goaltending equipment around American Thanksgiving then a two-year contract (even with the AAV north of $3 million) is a small price to pay to find out.
So for the next year or two hopefully you have the goaltending situation with far more stability than this season. But beyond that? Well it seems that Briere has done a reasonably good job at shoring up that department. Fresh off the Fedotov news was the fact Philadelphia had also been working on getting Alexei Kolosov over from the KHL. The 22-year-old Belarusian keeper was signed last season but ended up being released from his KHL contract earlier than expected with Dinamo Minsk. Kolosov saw a smidgeon of action in Lehigh Valley during the regular season and could see some playoff minutes as the Phantoms start their opening round series against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday night (April 24).
Of Ersson, Fedotov and Kolosov it appears that many suspect Kolosov to be the diamond in the rough in waiting for Philadelphia. He’s known for his atheleticism and should be able to develop into a solid goaltending prospect for the big club depending on how quickly he can adjust to the North American style of game as well as all the intangibles a newcomer faces playing on this side of the Atlantic. Having both Ersson and Fedotov as a tandem now allows Kolosov to develop at his own pace. If he excels with Lehigh Valley then the Flyers could have a nice problem in 2024-25 with three goaltenders vying for two spots.
With Ersson, Fedotov and Kolosov looking to make their stay in Philadelphia longer than an entry-level contract, the Flyers added more goalies to the mix in their 2023 draft. They used their fifty-first pick on Brandon Wheat Kings keeper Carson Bjarnason. Bjarnason, 18, had a good 2023-24 with a .907 save percentage in 46 appearances. His 2023-24 playoff was less than stellar, ending up with a .831 save percentage in four games and seeing 21 pucks put past him. Yet with the glut of goalies now in the system Bjarnason should have ample time to hone his game.
The same can be said Yegor Zavragin, another Russian goalie the Flyers drafted with their eighty-seventh pick in 2023. Zavragin, who turns 19 this August, was chosen after the Flyers acquired that pick in shipping Justin Braun off to the Rangers in 2022. The Russian played in the Russian Minor (Junior) Hockey League this past season and had a .920 save percentage. Again, it’s way too early to pencil Zavragin and Bjarnason into being a possible tandem in 2027-28 or 2028-29, but the more goalies in the system the more chance you have of getting a great one. Or two very good ones.
It’s unclear if Briere decides to once again draft one or two goalies in this upcoming draft. Perhaps he packages one of the 2023 selections in a deal to move up in the first round or possibly land a needed piece for the Flyers now. And like any draft pick or acquisition, there are always “ifs” which could make Briere’s approach look genius or foolhardy depending on the wins and losses these five goalies have in seasons to come. Hindsight is 20/20. What is quite clear is that the Flyers are going to try their best to have stability in goal from doing their own homework.
