Carchidi Column: Flyers’ Deepest Position? Surprise, Surprise

Danny Briere has had an interesting start to his career as the Philadelphia Flyers’ general manager, highlighted by the Ivan Provorov trade, lowlighted by goaltender Ivan Fedotov staying in Russia, and this week’s Hot Mic-gate.

Ah, the life of a general manger is never boring.

“Overall, it’s been fun,” Briere said on Thursday about his first shot at being a full-time GM. “There’s been some good things happening, some exciting stuff. And there’s some things you’re not prepared for and don’t think are going to happen — dealing with the Ivan Fedotov story, or dealing with the hot mic that happened the other day.”

Briere is still working the phones. On Thursday, he was still trying to complete a deal that would send defenseman Tony DeAngelo to Carolina. On Friday, however, he put DeAngelo on waivers.

But the 2023-24 roster is close to being set.

As the rebuilding Flyers inch closer to training camp, there is one position that appears to be the club’s strongest: goaltending.

And that’s despite not having a political pawn, Fedotov, competing for a job. More on that later.

Once a graveyard for goaltenders, Philly has loaded up on promising netminders in its system.

“We’ve been on the other side, where you don’t have enough (talented) goalies, and it’s a terrible feeling” Briere said. “It’s kind of nice to have that luxury of many goalies who can come in and hold down the fort. There’s going to be injuries along the way. That always happens, and it’s nice to be protected with solid goalies.”

Unlimited Potential

Carter Hart, coming off a strong season, will be the No. 1 goalie if he isn’t dealt — Briere has received lots of calls — and having him remain in Philly could be a good thing. Hart, who turns 25 next month, is a very good goalie who has the potential to be great, and he has yet to reach his prime.

There will an interesting three-way battle for the No. 2 spot between Cal Petersen, promising Sam Ersson, and Felix Sandstrom.

“I think it’s wide-open,” Briere said about the backup goalie competition. “There’s going to be chances for everybody, and we’ll see who can grab it.”

Petersen, 28,  acquired as part of the Provorov trade, is the favorite. But Ersson, 23, and Sandstrom, 26, have shown flashes of brilliance. And, remember, goalies usually aren’t at their peak until their late 20s. (See Bernard Marcel Parent.)

The Flyers also have hotshot goalie prospects Alexei Kolosov and Fedotov playing in the KHL. Oh, and they bolstered their goalie pipeline last month by drafting Carson Bjarnason (the draft’s top goaltender) and Egor Zavragin in the second and third rounds, respectively.

Contract Ignored

Fedotov should be at the Flyers training camp, but his Russian team, CSKA Moscow, mysteriously signed him recently to a two-year deal after he served a mandatory one-year term in the Navy.

The contract should be bogus — he already had a deal with the Flyers — but good luck trying to convince CSKA Moscow.

In 2022, Fedotov, now 26, signed a one-year entry-level contract for $925,000 with the Flyers and should be in North America. Period.

Or as Sign Man Dave Leonardi said when he held up a placard during the Soviets’ infamous walkout against the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976: Tell it to the Czar!

Fedotov couldn’t fulfill his Flyers contract last year because he was placed in the Russian Navy. Now that his military service is over, he should be playing for the Philadelphia Flyers or Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season.

“All I know is they don’t recognize the contract he has with the Flyers,” Briere said. “… We believe it’s a legit and valid contract on our end. They don’t see that at this point. I don’t know if Ivan signed (with CSKA) or was forced. I don’t know. I haven’t had the chance to speak with him directly.”

If the 6-foot-7, 205-pound Fedotov was allowed to come to North America last year, he would have been the favorite to land the No. 2 spot and he would gave challenged Hart. He won a silver medal for Russia in the 2022 Winter Olympics, and he has the talent to be an NHL regular.

For now, Petersen is the likely No. 2. He struggled with Los Angeles last season (3.75 GAA, .868 save percentage in 10 games), but his resume includes some solid work with the Kings, and his career save percentage (.905) is almost identical to Hart’s .906.

Briere hopes a change of scenery will help Petersen regain his once-promising form.

A ‘New Start’

“You see that sometimes with players,” Briere said. “Things start going sideways and they can’t get it together (with one team). For him, it’s a new start, and hopefully it helps him out.”

As for a potential bombshell trade that sends Hart to another team, Briere said he was “never out shopping Carter … but I’m always listening. He’s a good goaltender and a lot of people called, but there was nothing serious in trade talks with him.”

Postscript: Briere was asked if Russia’s handling of Fedotov concerned him about Matvei Michkov, 18, the gifted right winger the Flyers drafted No. 7 overall last month. Mickkov has three years left on his KHL contract, but sadly there are no guarantees he will be allowed to come to Philadelphia after his pact expires.

“At the moment, the plan is he’s going to play the three years with St. Petersburg, and after that, we hope he’s coming over to North America to play,” Briere said. “He has a contract in place (in the KHL). As far as I know the plan was to respect that. I don’t see things changing, but you never know.”

Stay tuned. Let’s hope politics don’t throw a wrench in the new general manager’s rebuilding plans.

Sam Carchidi writes a weekly column for Philly Hockey Now. He and Jeff Hare are working on a TV series on the Flyers’ glory days, tentatively called Bullies: A Love Story. Carchidi can be reached at samcarchidi55@gmail.com.