We mentioned the Philadelphia Flyers\u2019 No. 2 goalie position earlier in the week, bringing up Rochester Americans\u2019 goalie Devon Levi as a young, high-ceiling option for the position. Levi is seemingly trapped in the AHL due to Buffalo\u2019s surplus at the position, and a change of scenery could do him wonders. <\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s not a foregone conclusion that Sam Ersson is on his way out. Ersson, who will be 27 early next season, has been with the team since 2022. Only Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Owen Tippett, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler, and Noah Cates have been around longer than Ersson. Tyson Foerster joined the team in the 2022-23 season, the same season as Ersson. <\/p>\n
Beyond his senority, Ersson has given the Flyers reason to want to keep him around. Year 1 of his career was a great year for the backup netminder. 12 games played, a 3.01 GAA, and a .899 SV%. Really solid numbers for a backup. <\/p>\n
In 2023-24, Ersson was unexpectedly pushed into a starting role, where he started off strong but faded quickly with the heavy workload. His 51 games played that year are a career high, and he posted a 2.82 GAA and a .890 SV%. Still, Ersson showed great potential as a starter. <\/p>\n
Then in 2024-25, Ersson was the leader of a goalie trio of himself, Ivan Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov. Despite the 3-man rotation, Ersson still played over 50% of the team\u2019s games, 47. He battled a minor injury that season and a slow start. He found his confidence at the 4 Nations Faceoff and came back playing excellent hockey that lasted most of the remainder of the year. At the end of the season, he had a 3.14 GAA and an .883 SV%. <\/p>\n
In 2025-26, it became evident that Dan Vladar had taken over as the team\u2019s No. 1 goalie, getting the nod for the Flyers\u2019 first game of the year. Still, the two goaltenders had an early rotation before Ersson\u2019s struggles persisted, and Vladar kept going strong. Eventually, Ersson had become the Flyers\u2019 true backup with Vladar grabbing a firm hold on the No. 1 job. <\/p>\n
Not being selected to the Swedish Olympic roster, Ersson had an extended break. At the end of the season, Ersson had said he saw that second stint of the season as a \u201cnew chapter\u201d and that he was unhappy with how the earlier games went. But the long break let him put it all behind him and start fresh. That\u2019s when the Flyers\u2019 backup goalie started playing some of his best hockey ever. <\/p>\n
Ersson\u2019s .912 SV% and 2.00 GAA in his final 9 appearances of the season helped the Flyers win some pretty big games. It helped change the narrative around his season, too. Ersson ended his fourth year with the Flyers with a career-low .870 SV% and a 3.12 GAA.<\/p>\n
The Flyers\u2019 backup is a restricted free agent on July 1st of this year. He\u2019s due for a new deal. The Flyers can offer him a qualifying offer, or even an extension, before then. Or, they could let him walk, not tender him a QO, and let Ersson become an unrestricted free agent. <\/p>\n
What we know: Ersson wants to stay in Philadelphia. \u201cObviously, I love it here. I\u2019ve been here for my entire North American career. It\u2019s the only place I know. It\u2019s where I want to be,\u201c said Ersson. <\/p>\n
The Flyers have plenty of time to determine what they want to do. But for now, let\u2019s look at some reasons why the Flyers should either keep Sam Ersson or let him go. <\/p>\n
Read More: Jack Nesbitt Is Going the NCAA Route, Makes His College Commitment<\/a><\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with the go: one of the next steps for the Flyers to truly compete is to upgrade at a handful of positions. No. 2 goalie is most definitely one of them. <\/p>\n Having a career-low year during a contract season was the worst-case scenario for Ersson. Before the season started, sure, you could see a clearer path to signing an extension than not. But, after this past season, it became clear that the Flyers need to upgrade at the backup goalie position before they can truly be a cup contender. <\/p>\n