A Method to Try and Resolve the Flyers’ Long-Standing Problems in Net

Photo Credit: https://denverpioneers.com/

Well, it is official: the Philadelphia Flyers have missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, with this tying the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

But while there is a long list of things like the lack of scoring on the power play that needs to be addressed in the off-season, perhaps the longest-standing issue that management and coaching just can’t seem to right is, you guessed it, “GOALTENDING.”

This seemingly perpetual issue dates back to the end of the 1998-1999 season when Ron Hextall, Philadelphia’s long-standing guardian of the blue paint, retired. And, as crazy as that sounds, what might blow your mind more is the fact that over that now 26-year time span, the Flyers have started an astounding 34 different netminders!

Now, with you reading that inflated number, it’s easy to see that it most certainly is not for lack of trying.

Over the years, the team has tried bringing in countless established veterans, the best of whom was John Vanbiesbrouck, who had two great seasons with the Flyers. Still, after the completion of his second season in Philly, the Flyers thought it best to trade away this soon-to-be 37-year-old netminder.

Some years later, the team decided to take another route and take a chance on a young Russian goaltender who was at the time a virtual unknown to anyone over here in the States. That player turned out to be none other than future Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky. Who after just two seasons played with the team, management succeeded in pissing him off by making the impatient long-term signing of Ilya Bryzgalov, which resulted in Bobrovsky wanting out of the City of Brotherly Love. Once he left, Sergei only went on to win multiple Vezina Trophies and a Stanley Cup. After this season is complete (and Marc Andre Fleury retires), Bob will become the NHL’s active wins leader with 427 victories already under his belt.

Of course, we already alluded to when the team tried throwing massive amounts of money at the problem when they signed free agent Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year, $51 million contract in 2011, but that did not work out quite the way they had planned seeing that the Flyers then decided to turn around and buy out the remaining seven years of his contract in 2013, resulting in a 14-year buyout agreement, that requires the team to still have to pay him roughly $1.643 million per year until the year 2027.

Then, in 2013, the Flyers decided to try their hand at a little “reclamation project” when they traded for a 24-year-old goaltender in, Steve Mason. Mason was a goalie who seemed like the next big thing after winning such awards as the OHL Goaltender of the Year, an OHL Championship, a World Junior Championship, and eventually the NHL’s Calder Trophy (given to the player deemed the Rookie of the Year) just to name a few. But in Columbus, he never really developed into the player they thought he would, so the Flyers traded for him, hoping that he just needed a fresh start somewhere new.

But, after playing five outstanding seasons with the Flyers, where during that time Steve managed to win 104 games, maintain a 2.47 goals-against-average, a .918 save percentage, and post 14 shutouts, the team just let this still young 28-year-old sign with another team in free agency.

Then, of course, the Flyers thought Carter Hart was going to be our savior, but we won’t even go into his atrocious stat line or the debauchery that he has been implicated in.

So, to this point, it would appear they have tried just about every way they know how to resolve this outstanding issue, but to date, they have failed to solve the problem. And, with the current crop of netminders in town combining for a league’s worst .879 save percentage and allowing 3.42 goals a game, they don’t look destined to get any better any time soon.
So, what else is there to try? Well, for one thing, they should try like hell to get out of having to pay Ivan Fedotov another $3.275 million for next season after he has only managed to win 0.25% of the games he’s started over the last two seasons. Whether it be a trade, a buyout, whatever it takes, just do it.

Then I think they should try to bring in multiple undrafted free agent goalies to camp in an effort to hopefully find one that can hold down the fort until reinforcements arrive in the form of Carson Bjarnason, who the Flyers drafted with their 2023 second-round pick, or an actually good goaltender in Yegor Zavragin who the Flyers took with their third-round pick that same year.

And those netminders that they should be taking a look at and either signing to an entry-level contract now or wait and see if they will be willing to attend their camp this summer are.

Austin Elliott-London Knights

Austin is a 20-year-old netminder who has attended NHL camps in the past but has yet to be offered a professional contract. This season, Elliott started the year with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. Still, he was dealt (despite winning all three of his starts this season) to the London Knights, where he finished the regular season with a record of 32 wins and one loss while being able to maintain a 2.10 goals-against-average and a .924 save percentage.

Now, seeing that he somehow went undrafted and has not been offered a professional contract to this point, Austin recently decided to take his talents to the collegiate ranks next season, committing to play for UMass-Lowell.

But the good thing is I’m pretty sure he would negate heading there if it meant signing a pro deal.

Matt Davis-University of Denver

Next up is a 23-year-old shot blocker who is still in contention for a shot at winning his THIRD NCAA National Championship for the University of Denver, and that is goaltender Matt Davis.

Now, I’ll admit Denver has a ton of quality players, most of whom have already been drafted by one NHL team or another. Still, perhaps no player has been more impressive over the last few seasons than this undrafted free agent. For Davis, over the course of the previous four seasons out in the Mile High City, has been able to win over 70% of the 89 games that he has played in.

With this season being no different, seeing that Matt managed to accumulate a league-leading 29 wins this season while posting an impressive 2.07 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.

Davis is about as refined as you will find any goaltender who is not currently playing in the NHL because, as you can see in this video from the 2024 Men’s Frozen Four Tournament that I provided below, Matt looks as cool as the other side of the pillow when staring down current NHL Stars like the Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini, and the Canadiens’ Lane Hutson when they played for Boston University. As well as players like the Sharks’ Will Smith, the Ducks’ Cutter Gauthier, the Capitals’ Ryan Leonard, and the Rangers’ Gabe Perreault, who all suited up together against Davis for the Boston College Eagles in that same tournament.

If the Flyers signed either one of these goalies for next season, it would most certainly bring this fragile fan base a little reassurance. For far too long, this great city has been without a goalie that they can trust to stand on his head any given night and win them a game all by himself.

And, although the masses here in Philly understand that the team is going through a rebuild and the majority of them still trust in old #48 (Danny Briere) to lead the team in the right direction, they are going to need a little more than Matvei Michkov to keep them attending games. And the team is going to need someone (in net) who is a little more consistent and can keep them in games.