Despite the prolonged dissatisfaction with the state of the goaltending, the Philadelphia Flyers have positioned incumbent starter Sam Ersson for success in the 2025-26 season.
Ersson, 25, was undone by a lack of experience, preparation, and help when the Flyers fell flat on their faces late in the 2023-24 season.
The departure of Carter Hart left the Flyers with Ersson, Cal Petersen, Felix Sandstrom, and, later on, Ivan Fedotov, as their only options.
Ultimately, in his first full season in the NHL, Ersson played 51 games, going 23-19-7 with a 2.82 GAA, a .890 save percentage, and four shutouts.
Last season, the situation remained the same, with Fedotov and rookie Aleksei Kolosov filling in behind Ersson at different points.
The latter struggled with injuries, and, as they say, the best ability is availability.
Ersson finished the season with a 22-17-5 record, a 3.14 GAA, a .883 save percentage, two shutouts, and a lot less believers than he started the season with.
The Swede may never be a full-time starter or No. 1 goalie at the NHL level, and that's okay. But to believe that Ersson is one of the NHL's worst goalies is laughable.
Ersson played his best hockey in 2023-24 when Hart was still around, even if he was beginning to earn more starts with Hart not playing up to standard.
Through Jan. 20, 2024, Hart's last game with the Flyers, Ersson was 12-5-3 with a 2.28 GAA, a .911 save percentage, and three shutouts, according to StatMuse.
Ersson had played 21 games up to that point, while Hart had played 26.
Comparatively, Hart was statistically lagging, going 12-9-3 to the tune of a 2.80 GAA, a .906 save percentage, and only one shutout.
It makes little sense that, after a season in which Ersson was again left stranded with no capable understudies and below-average offense, Flyers fans are taking to social media clamoring for the return of Hart, who hasn't played a competitive game in 18 months.
The Flyers already have a goalie who went a year without playing, and his name is Ivan Fedotov. How's that working out so far?
And, that's not to blame Fedotov, but it's a year lost of training, preparing, and improving. That's the reality.
This summer, the Flyers went out and added goalie Dan Vladar, who is poised to start north of 30 games for the first time in his NHL career at the age of 27 (soon to be 28).
So, not only do the Flyers not have room for Hart, but they've also done what they believe is needed to set Ersson up for success.
The Flyers signed a goalie in Vladar who they feel can lighten the burden on Ersson and allow him to stay fresh and healthy throughout the course of a full season.
Whether this goaltending arrangement is a 50-50 split or a 60-40 split in favor of Ersson remains to be seen, but the Flyers have shown time and time again that they're committed to the 2018 fifth-round pick.
That can change quickly if Ersson comes up short again this season, but there's less reason than ever before to believe the 25-year-old can't return to form for the Orange and Black.
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