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Former Flyers goalies find new homes on the East Coast

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Brian Elliott Alex Lyon Flyers Goalies

The Philadelphia Flyers were in the market for a backup goalie in free agency and signed Martin Jones to a one-year, $2 million contract. With a new tandem of Carter Hart and Jones in the crease, former Flyers goalies Brian Elliott and Alex Lyon were forced to find new teams.

Moose goes south to Tampa Bay

Brian Elliott quickly found a new home in a great spot for him. He signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning shortly after free agency opened on Wednesday.

Elliott, 36, spent four seasons with the Flyers. He started the majority of games –– just barely –– in the 2017-18 season, going 23-11-7 with a .909 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average en route to a playoff berth. The next year, Elliott was one of a record-tying eight goalies to play in a game in the 2018-19 season. He started the second-most games (23) behind Hart (30), going 11-11-1 with a respectable .907 SV% and 2.96 GAA.

After that, things started to go downhill a bit. Elliott had an .899 SV% in 27 starts during the 2019-20 season and an .889 save percentage (behind an awful defense) in 26 starts last season.

Elliott should be able to play less and, therefore, perform better with the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy will play the bulk of the games with Elliott filling in here and there when needed.

Lyon in the eye of the storm

Alex Lyon, the Flyers’ third goalie last season –– and for a few seasons –– signed with the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday evening. It’s a two-way deal for Lyon, paying $750,000 at the NHL level and $200,000 at the AHL level with a $250,000 guarantee.

“Alex is a goaltender with experience at both the AHL and NHL levels,” said Hurricanes GM Don Waddell. “This signing helps solidify our goaltending depth.”

Lyon played in a career-high 11 games in the 2017-18 season and has played in 11 total since: two in 2018-19, three in 2019-20, and six last season. In his career, Lyon is 6-7-2 with an .893 SV% and 3.21 GAA.

The 28-year-old netminder is much more known for his time with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Across six seasons in the AHL, he is 75-54-22 with a .913 SV% and 2.75 GAA.

Lyon will serve as Carolina’s third goalie option behind Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, both of whom the Hurricanes also signed this offseason.

All the best to Elliott and Lyon in Tampa Bay and Carolina, besides when they’re playing against the Flyers, of course.


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Ryan is a proud graduate of Monmouth University. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers for the better part of a decade at various outlets, including Sons of Penn and Broad Street Hockey. Ryan has also worked for NHL.com and NBC Sports Regional Networks. Whether it's a GIF, quick stat, analysis, or long-form column, he's got you covered.

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