Flyers Looking To Change Up Their Goalie Tandem?

When Felix Sandström fell ill and the Flyers recalled goaltending prospect Samuel Ersson from Lehigh Valley just before Christmas, it figured that even if he got his first career NHL start that it would just be a "one and done recall" type of thing.

But in the midst of it all, Carter Hart sustained a mild concussion after coming in to relieve Ersson in his first NHL start, and it forced Ersson back into the crease. He played fairly well for the third period, stopping all the shots thrown his way.

That's where things began to get murky within the personnel that man's the Flyers crease. After the Christmas break, Hart was "rehabbing" and practicing, not quite ready to return to in-game action yet as he was in the NHL's concussion protocol and still had steps he needed to overcome before being eligible to return to the lineup. Felix Sandström, who had been the team's backup for almost the entire first half of the season, was back from his illness and available to play.

However, head coach John Tortorella threw an unexpected curveball. Despite Sandström being recovered and available, he decided to start Ersson against the San Jose Sharks. While it was initially a bit of a head scratching idea, it ultimately turned out to be a good one as Ersson had a much better game against the Sharks as he stopped 25/28 shots he saw, and he was able to help the Flyers record their first OT victory of the season as they found a way to come back and defeat the Sharks 4-3 in the extra period.


The day following the victory against the Sharks, the media reported that while all three goalies were present at practice, it was Ersson who was the first goalie off the ice. This is only important because the New Years Eve game against the Kings is an afternoon game so there'd be no morning skate, so first goalie off the day before an afternoon game usually indicates the starter for the following day's game.

Carter Hart, who has been practicing since the Christmas break ended, stayed on for "extra work" according to media reports from the practice. He is eligible to come off IR Saturday before the Kings game, provided he is able to pass one last part of the concussion protocol testing.

If Hart clears protocol and is available against the Kings, and Tortorella still opts to start Ersson again with Hart as the backup, this situation could get extremely interesting.

The true question is, unless there's something they're not telling us about Sandström - which is extremely possible with this team; everything seems to be a secret these days - why does it suddenly appear like Tortorella dislikes Sandström's game so much so he'd choose to ride the slightly unsteady hand of a rookie who gave up 5 goals in his first appearance over the goalie he had chosen to start the season as his backup, while his starter is out injured? Is it to build the rookie's confidence? Make sure he's getting plenty of playing time to make sure he continues his progress in development? Or is there something behind the scenes with Sandström we aren't aware of? There's a chances we may never find out what's behind the decisions, but one thing we know for sure is Hart is this team's starting goalie. So the Flyers will eventually need to decide which two goalies they prefer: Hart/Ersson or Hart/Sandström.

Or, do they go a completely different route and attempt a trade, and if they choose a trade, which goalie is going the opposite direction, Sandström or Ersson? Is it a decision we want Fletcher making? So many questions that only time will have the true answer for.