Orange & Black / Philadelphia Flyers

What should the Flyers do to fix their goaltending problem? Exploring the options
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 05: Ivan Fedotov #82 of the Philadelphia Flyers takes the ice before the first period against the Florida Panthers at the Wells Fargo Center on December 05, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
By Kevin Kurz
Jan 6, 2025
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Full marks to Ivan Fedotov. Coming in cold against one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the NHL, Fedotov settled in after a shaky first period and helped earn the Flyers a point in a 3-2 overtime loss in Toronto on Sunday with 22 saves. Fedotov hadn’t played since Dec. 5, when he was pulled after the first period in Florida, and hadn’t gone wire to wire since a Black Friday home win over the New York Rangers. It would be surprising if he didn’t get a chance to build off of that effort in the rematch at home with the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

But one strong performance does not a No. 1 goalie make. Along with Aleksei Kolosov’s struggles, the Flyers’ situation in net has reached a crucial stage, still threatening to sink their season and maybe even risk setting back what they’re attempting to build from a culture standpoint. Their .869 team save percentage remains last in the NHL, while their 3.49 goals-against average is 30th.

Their best hope is still probably that Sam Ersson gets healthy and finds his game. That even seemed to be happening coming out of the Christmas break — he played his best game in months in a 2-1 win in Anaheim on Dec. 28, and was shutting out the San Jose Sharks after two periods before injury forced him from the lineup yet again.

And that’s one of the biggest issues now. The Flyers probably can’t rely on Ersson to handle a significant workload again, even when he does return. The club didn’t specify what his current lower body-injury is, but if it’s his groin again, as it was the first two times he missed games in November in December, that could linger through April.

So what are the Flyers’ options? None of them is ideal. But it does feel like they’re going to have to do something, and soon.

Option 1: Make a trade
The Flyers aren’t in a position to be giving up up any significant assets for a goalie. Their three first-round picks and three second-round picks in next year’s draft are almost certainly off the table. But what about a deal similar to last season’s for Erik Johnson, in which they surrendered a fourth-round pick to Buffalo for the veteran defenseman?

My guess is, if they went the trade route, it would have to be for a more veteran-type who has had NHL success in the past, rather than a younger goalie who is still unproven. Here are a few who might be available.

Elvis Merzlikins: It wasn’t long ago that the Columbus goalie wanted a “new scenario.” The 30-year-old has gotten the bulk of the time in net with the Blue Jackets this season, posting so-so numbers with a 13-10-3 mark, 3.18 GAA and .888 save percentage. Merzlikins is overpaid, too, at a $5.4 million AAV through 2026-27. But if the Flyers don’t envision either Fedotov or Kolosov on the roster next season — a real possibility — perhaps Merzlikins is a guy they consider, as long as Columbus retains some of his salary.

Merzlikins is the only goalie listed here signed past this season.

James Reimer: The textbook definition of a journeyman, Reimer is on his seventh NHL team, the Buffalo Sabres. He’s generally been steady wherever he’s gone, with a 2.88 GAA and .910 save percentage in 510 career games. Reimer is also a low-maintenance, affable guy who would fit seamlessly into any dressing room — probably part of the reason he’s lastest so long in the league.

Louis Domingue: The 32-year-old has spent just about all of this season with the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack, and his numbers aren’t great there (.888 save percentage, 3.64 GAA). But Domingue has 144 games of NHL experience and a career save percentage of .906.

Pheonix Copley: He’s having a nice season with the AHL Ontario Reign, the Kings’ affiliate, with a .903 save percentage and 2.59 GAA in 14 games. Copley, 32, has 77 games of experience with the Blues, Capitals and Kings.

Kaapo Kahkonen: After a trade from San Jose to New Jersey last season, Kahkonen was decent in six games with the Devils, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.51 GAA. But the 28-year-old is struggling in the AHL this season with Manitoba (4.01 GAA, .866 save percentage in 11 games) after signing a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets.

Vitek Vanecek: The 28-year-old is currently injured after getting hit in the face with a puck on the bench, and his numbers with San Jose aren’t very good (.885 save percentage, 3.84 GAA in 14 games), but the Sharks are also generally inept in front of him. In 177 career NHL games, his save percentage is still a respectable .903, with a 2.79 GAA.

Option 2: Pluck someone from the scrap heap
The benefit of adding any of these guys is that none of them would require the Flyers giving up any assets.

Martin Jones: It was only last season that Jones gave the Toronto Maple Leafs some good minutes. In 22 games, he was 11-8-1 with a 2.87 GAA and .902 save percentage. The Flyers know Jones well, of course, after he spent the 2021-22 season with them. He’s still just 34 years old, but remains unemployed. Assuming he hasn’t spent the last four months eating Oreos on a beach somewhere, a phone call might not hurt.

Aaron Dell: The 35-year-old hasn’t seen a lot of NHL action over the years, but he’s on an AHL deal with the San Jose Barracuda. In 130 career NHL games with the Sharks, Devils and Sabres, Dell has an 50-50-13 mark and .905 save percentage.

Malcolm Subban: Another guy currently on an AHL contract, Subban is with the Belleville Senators, where he’s 6-4-0 with a 3.07 GAA and .882 save percentage. The 31-year-old played one NHL game with Columbus last season.

Option 3: Do nothing
There is, of course, a not-insignificant portion of the fan base that is fine with the porous goaltending because it will ultimately help the Flyers secure a higher draft pick. And, sure, there’s some logic to that line of thinking. There’s virtually no chance the Flyers will challenge for a playoff spot if Ersson misses much more time, and if they’re left with Fedotov and Kolosov as the two primary options.

They could maybe even use Kolosov as a trade chip at some point. Perhaps that’s part of the reason they’ve kept him on the roster, as they feel he’s expendable with prospects Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin in the mix.

And, of course, there’s still Cal Petersen, who isn’t going to be with the organization past this season. Petersen’s numbers with the Phantoms this season aren’t very good — he’s 8-10-2 with a .884 save percentage and 3.25 GAA — but the fact that we’re even talking about him at all is reflective of just how desperate the Flyers have become.

(Photo of Ivan Fedotov: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)


Kevin Kurz
Kevin Kurz is a staff writer for The Athletic NHL based in Philadelphia. He previously covered the New York Islanders and the San Jose Sharks for 10+ years and worked in the Philadelphia Flyers organization. Follow Kevin on Twitter @KKurzNHL