Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers’ Carter Hart Could Get Competition From This Goalie
Philadelphia Flyers goalie Felix Sandstrom will get a chance to earn a spot with the Flyers in training camp, and could give Carter Hart some competition for playing time.
Hart, of course, is entrenched as the No. 1 goalie.
Sandstrom, 25, signed a two-year contract Thursday with the Flyers, general manager Chuck Fletcher announced. The deal has a $775,000 annual cap hit. Sandstrom could have become an unrestricted free agent.
The Sweden native agreed to a two-way/one-way deal, one in which he will make the NHL rate in his second year — even if he is with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Hart, who turns 24 on Aug. 13, has a $3.98 million annual cap hit. He was 13-24-7 with a 3.16 GAA and .905 save percentage last season, improvement from a disastrous 2020-21 campaign in which he had a 3.67 GAA and an .877 save percentage.
At the moment, the Flyers have three goalies signed: Hart, Sandstrom, and 6-foot-7, 205-pound Ivan Fedotov, who could also push Hart for playing time with a strong camp.
Sandstrom was 0-4-1 with a 3.23 GAA and .910 save percentage in five games with the Flyers last season. The 6-2, 191-pound goaltender spent most of the season with the AHL’s Phantoms (2.89, .902)
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In his NHL debut last season, Sandstrom made 43 saves — the most ever by a Flyers goalie in his first game — as Philly dropped a 3-2 overtime decision Dec. 30 in San Jose.
Sandstrom was selected by the Flyers in the third round (70th overall) of the 2015 draft. Hart was chosen in the second round (48th overall) in 2016.
Among the Philadelphia Flyers’ potential free agents are UFAs Nate Thompson, Kevin Connauton, Martin Jones, and Adam Clendening, along with RFAs Zack MacEwen, Morgan Frost, Owen Tippett, Wade Allison, Hayden Hodgson, Tanner Laczynski, Isaac Ratcliffe, Kirill Ustimenko, and Linus Hogberg.
Frost and Ustimenko are ineligible for salary arbitration or to receive an offer sheet from any other team.
Breakaways
New coach John Tortorella doesn’t plan to name a captain until the end of training camp. … The Flyers have just $5.1 million in cap space — and that is with money earmarked for only 18 players. Teams carry 22 or 23 players.
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Hey Sam, you said three goalies are currently signed. What about Ersson?
Says he is under contract. 22. Barely played in the AHL last year.
Hi Todd:
Yes, Ersson is signed, but I was only counting the goalies who are expected to challenge for a job with the Flyers in camp. Ersson is behind the others. He missed most of last season due to a recurring LB injury and needs a full year with the AHL’s Phantoms. He played in just five games for LV last year. The kid does have promise.
Ivan Fedotov, could be the next Vaskilesky or Shesterkin. Sandstrom could be the next Kuemper. Hart is done.
Hart played behind one of the worst defenses in the NHL. He needs some people in front of him. It’s to early to count him out. He does need some competition behind him though