We opened our Philly Hockey Now mailbag on Monday, and we already got tons of Philadelphia Flyers questions to answer!

In the first round of the mailbag, we look at the future of the backup goalie position in Philadelphia, how and when the Flyers can fill a big hole on the roster, and the specific fit of one player on the trade block.

Let’s get into the first round of questions.

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Flyers Mailbag Questions and Answers

Hacksaw asked: Which goalie prospect will eventually make the Flyers to back up Vladar in a future season, Carson Bjarnason, Yegor Zavragin, or another Briere acquisition ( who would you hope is chosen)?

I think the obvious answer to this is Carson Bjarnason; the question becomes when. No matter what happens this season, it feels almost certain that he will never be a thought for a call-up this year.

Bjarnason still needs time in the AHL. Personally, I am of the opinion that two full, unbothered seasons in the AHL will do him well. That would keep him out of consideration for next season as well. He has been splitting time with Aleksei Kolosov, but there have been multiple stints when Kolosov was in the NHL, so Bjarnason has taken on a heavy workload. His numbers were really good to start the season, but have slowly faded. He now has a 3.08 GAA and a .889 SV% in 22 games, and an 11-7-5 record.

Yegor Zavragin is under contract with SKA through 2026-27, so that takes him out of the immediate picture. Plus, he’ll likely require some AHL time before his NHL debut.

That said, my best guess is that next summer, Bjarnason will have an outside chance to make the NHL roster. However, if it’s not Sam Ersson, who is an RFA this summer, it’ll likely be a free agent signing backing up.

It’s too early to tell who is actually going to make it to the open market, but I would love to see Eric Comrie, or maybe even Stuart Skinner, who is having a better start to his Penguins tenure, in a backup role. A trade could be an option as well.

Sidney asked: The Flyers obviously need a 1C and 2C to compete for a deep playoff run. When and how will this be accomplished?

Let’s start with the 2C spot. I am still of the opinion that Christian Dvorak can be a 2C. If Trevor Zegras can find his groove down the middle, he could be a 2C as well. While he won’t be right away, especially with the Phantoms being an option next season, I believe that Jett Luchanko can be a solid 2C as well.

I don’t see a 1C on the current roster or in the pipeline. Zegras might be the most “1C potential” player right now, but I don’t think he is the 1C on a playoff team.

So, with no 1C in free agency, the Flyers will have to acquire a 1C via a trade. The Flyers still have draft picks, and their prospect pool still has tons of talent in other positions. They have the cap space and assets needed to pull off a trade.

My best guess is that something will happen over the summer. It’s clear that they wanted to make the playoffs this season, but that does not look like it’ll happen. The hole in the lineup is clear. You have to assume GM Danny Briere will be working the phones this offseason.

Dan asked: I am of the opinion that the Flyers should go “all in” to acquire Robert Thomas even if it “hurts” some to obtain him. He is young, a #1 center, and under contract for the foreseeable future. If it costs Tippett, a 1st round choice, and another player other than TK, Michkov, or Martone, make the trade. If they have to wait until the summer, fine, but do not lose out on him. The Flyers have the capital to make this move. What are your thoughts?

Now, this will sort of act as a part two to the question above. I agree with the question above. Robert Thomas is my ideal candidate to fill that 1C role.

With the talent that the Flyers have on the wing, you don’t need a legitimate scoring 1C. Thomas is a solid offensive contributor, but he is also a very good two-way player. I think he would be perfect to pair alongside Matvei Michkov or Travis Konecny, and maybe even Porter Martone. He is 26 and will be 27 on July 2nd. His contract is pretty reasonable as well. If Thomas is seriously available, and not just “let’s see what we can get” by St. Louis, the Flyers should go all-in.

I agree that Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone, and Travis Konecny are untouchables. I would also throw in one of Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett. Obviously, one of the two will be required to acquire Thomas, or a Robert Thomas-like player. However, both are big-bodied scoring wingers that the Flyers will want to have playing on the opposite wing of Michkov or Konecny. If the Flyers are going to be competitive, they’ll want to make sure they retain one of those two as well.

Read More: Flyers Trade Talk: Robert Thomas’ Fit in Philly

Mailbag is still open

Just a reminder, this was just the first part of the mailbag! The mailbag is still open, and will be taking questions until this Friday, 2/20, at 12:00 p.m. EST.

If you still have questions, leave them in the comment section on the link below!

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