{"id":412446,"date":"2026-01-17T10:24:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T10:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/412446\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T10:24:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T10:24:27","slug":"flyers-trade-talk-time-to-look-for-a-backup-goalie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/412446\/","title":{"rendered":"Flyers Trade Talk: Time to Look for a Backup Goalie?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heading into the season, the backup goaltender position seemed unlikely to be needed come deadline season for the Philadelphia Flyers. However, it has been a less-than-ideal season for Sam Ersson<\/a>, who has posted a 3.42 GAA and an .853 SV% in 18 games, earning 6 wins.<\/p>\n

However, Ersson\u2019s sub-par season has not too big of a deal so far, as Dan Vladar has taken over the role as the No. 1 netminder for the Flyers. Vladar has been a pleasant surprise this season, having a breakout year and proving that all he needed was a chance to start to break through.<\/p>\n

In reality, the Flyers should be looking for other options to back up Vladar, or at least having conversations about Ersson\u2019s future. If the Flyers are serious about a playoff push, they need better from their No. 2 netminder. <\/p>\n

Now, I will say, I do believe the Flyers should, and are giving Ersson a chance to play his way through it. He has undoubtedly earned that right. But there will come a certain point where the Flyers must say \u2018enough is enough\u2019.<\/p>\n

With Vladar\u2019s recent injury, Ersson has another chance to prove he can remain helpful to the cause. It did not get off to a great start after allowing three goals in about 22 minutes on Thursday vs. the Penguins. <\/p>\n

If he can\u2019t turn it around soon, it may be time to move on.<\/p>\n

Aleksei Kolosov could be an internal option, but given how well his first real year of AHL development is going, it does not seem smart to interrupt that now. Especially if his time in the NHL is going to go like his ~38 minutes on Thursday. <\/p>\n

So, if the Flyers do decide to move forward, what options are out there? <\/p>\n

Read More: Flyers Place Forward on IR, Recall Goalie in Wake of Dan Vladar Injury<\/a><\/p>\n

Backup Goalie Trade Targets for the Flyers<\/p>\n

Alex Lyon, Buffalo Sabres<\/p>\n

Ah, a familiar face. Alex Lyon<\/a> should be towards the top, if not at the top, of the Flyers\u2019 list while searching for a backup goalie. The former Flyer is having a fantastic season for the Sabres, who have some great depth at the position. <\/p>\n

This year, Lyon has a .906 SV% and a 2.82 GAA in 31 games, 10 wins, and a shutout. Lyon is in year one of a two-year deal, carrying a $1.5 million AAV. <\/p>\n

The 33-year-old goalie will be a UFA in 2027, so he has one more year of control beyond this one. <\/p>\n

While the Sabres are surging and may not be in a position to sell, especially to another potential wild-card team, they have the depth to afford this move. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is having just as good a season as Lyon, and top prospect Devon Levi is still an option for Buffalo. <\/p>\n

A third- or fourth-round pick could get the job done as an enticing deal for both sides. <\/p>\n

Stuart Skinner, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

Yes, Stuart Skinner<\/a> may not be the most desirable name, but he\u2019s available. Similar to the scenario with Buffalo, it may be tricky for Pittsburgh to want to help out the Flyers, who will be competing with the Penguins for a wild-card spot. But with Skinner, a pending UFA, it might be hard to turn down a deal. <\/p>\n

Skinner is available and is having an okay season. In 30 games between the Oilers and Penguins, Skinner has 14 wins and 2 shutouts, with a 2.71 GAA and a .893 SV%.<\/p>\n

Is it good? Not really, but numbers-wise, it brings an improvement. <\/p>\n

Skinner will likely be the cheapest option, and could become even more available if the Penguins start to slide. <\/p>\n

Read More: Not So Sunny: Grading Flyers after Fourth-Straight Loss<\/a><\/p>\n

Eric Comrie, Winnipeg Jets<\/p>\n

Eric Comrie<\/a>, much like Errson, is not having the best season. Coming off a great 2024-25 season where he posted a .914 SV% and a 2.39 GAA, Comrie had been thrown into the fire with Connor Hellebuyck\u2019s injury earlier in the season. <\/p>\n

This season, Comrie has a 3.33 GAA and a .884 SV% in 17 games and 7 wins. Hellebuyck is back, and eating most of the games in goal. <\/p>\n

The Jets are having a shockingly bad season, one that could see them selling off pending UFAs and other non-essential players to the bounceback, like a backup goalie. <\/p>\n

Comrie is a pending UFA, carrying a $825,000 cap hit. <\/p>\n

All he may need is a change of scenery to get back to his previous form. <\/p>\n

Dennis Hildeby, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n

This is where we start looking at some bigger swings. One name I\u2019d keep an eye on is Dennis Hildeby<\/a> in Toronto.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old Swedish netminder might be the biggest swing\/risk the Flyers could take when looking to find a backup netminder, but it could pay off. <\/p>\n

Hildeby is in year one of his ELC and carries an $841,667 cap hit for the next three seasons before becoming an RFA in 2028. The 6\u20197\u2033 netminder has been good for Toronto, posting a 2.97 GAA and a .911 SV% in 17 appearances. He has just 4 wins in 12 starts. <\/p>\n

Hildeby is currently the No. 2 to Joseph Woll, who is in year one of a three-year deal. I don\u2019t think Woll is going anywhere anytime soon. Woll\u2019s typical tandem partner, Anthony Stolarz, is nearing his return as well. There could be no room for Hildeby on the NHL roster once Stolarz returns. <\/p>\n

Given that Hildeby is still on his ELC, it\u2019ll likely drive his price through the roof, making it a difficult deal. However, there is plenty of upside to making a move. And hey, if they say no to Hildeby, no harm in asking about Stollarz, once healthy, who is a UFA at the end of the year. <\/p>\n

Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild<\/p>\n

Go big or go home, right? <\/p>\n

No, the Minnesota Wild have shown no indication that they\u2019re willing to trade Filip Gustavsson<\/a>, especially not after giving him a five-year, $34 million extension with plenty of trade protection. <\/p>\n

However, it seems like Minnesota has a new leader between the pipes, as Jesper Wallstedt has emerged as an elite option in goal for the Wild. In fact, Wallstedt sits at or near the top of every major goalie statistic this season. <\/p>\n

Wallstedt is cheap, controllable, younger, and outplaying Gustavsson. <\/p>\n

Again, Minnesota has shown no indication that it would trade Gustavsson, but this deadline (or offseason) would be one last chance to trade him before trade protection kicks in. Despite the rising cap, having a large amount of salary tied up between goalies is less than ideal. That could be the road the Wild are heading down, especially if Wallstedt truly takes over the goal. <\/p>\n

The Flyers have assets to help Minnesota in their cup run, and can also give them other assets to replenish what they lost in the Quinn Hughes deal, allowing them to go out and make another splash. <\/p>\n

Gustavsson may not be a backup goalie, but if the Flyers can make a splash, why not?<\/p>\n

What goalie would you like to see the Flyers go after? <\/p>\n

All contract details are from PuckPedia<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Read More: Flyers Trade Talk: Who Could be in Play for Rasmus Ristolainen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heading into the season, the backup goaltender position seemed unlikely to be needed come deadline season for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5112],"tags":[58,1468,47263,5,4,1467,56,5205,9519],"class_list":["post-412446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia-flyers","tag-featured","tag-flyers","tag-flyers-trade-talk","tag-hockey","tag-nhl","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-flyers","tag-philadelphiaflyers","tag-sam-ersson"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115909955827318986","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}