After adding a center, might the Flyers pursue one of these 10 goalies?

The bare minimum for the Flyers this offseason was to find another center who could realistically play in the top six, and a goaltender with NHL experience to pair with the developing Samuel Ersson.

They may have achieved the first part already, acquiring Trevor Zegras from Anaheim on Monday.

If Zegras is able to transition back from left wing to the middle of the ice, where he began his career, it would fill a huge void for the club, which hopes to be much more competitive next season.

Advertisement Getting another goaltender, though, is also paramount.

And, it could be tricky.

There may be as many as 10 teams looking for an upgrade there, while the pool of goalies available may not be deep enough to satisfy them all.

Colleague James Mirtle skillfully broke that down on Wednesday morning here , fancy chart and all.

Just to review: the Flyers .872 team save percentage in 2024-25 ranked last in the NHL.

While Ersson still seems to have potential and club management believes he was better last season than his numbers reflect there were no NHL-caliber options behind him.

A case can be made that Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov were the two worst goaltenders in the league last season.

Lets take a look at 10 goaltenders who could, to varying degrees, be available for the Flyers to pursue, and whether they make any sense.

Could be decent options Thatcher Demko: This would be a sizable risk considering Demkos injury history, but he has to be mentioned because of his high ceiling, and because he has only one year left on his contract ($5 million AAV).

Demko also has a preexisting relationship with new Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, of course, which would help the transition.

Its been speculated that the Canucks might move Demko after inking Kevin Lankinen to a five-year extension, but Vancouver is also seeking a center which the Flyers cant offer.

Jake Allen: Theres not much debate that, in a thin free-agent market, Allen is the best goalie option after many years as a more-than-capable backup in a few different places, including New Jersey this past season.

A contract projection of two years at an approximate $3.5 million AAV would suit the Flyers both monetarily and from a hockey perspective, as Allen could be a bridge to some of their goalie prospects in the system and is good enough that he could start for a stretch of games if Ersson struggles.

Allen might prefer to remain on the East Coast, but how long of a commitment will he be looking for? Advertisement Joel Hofer: The 24-year-old Blues goalie has been mentioned as an offer-sheet candidate, after a pair of pretty impressive seasons as Jordan Binningtons backup.

Hofer sports a .908 save percentage and 2.69 goals-against average in 69 career games.

Assuming the Flyers dont want to surrender a first round pick something Briere mentioned in his news conference after the Zegras trade they could offer as much as $4.6 million a season in an offer sheet for Hofer, which would only cost them a second-round pick per the leagues compensation chart.

But Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said this week that the club doesnt plan on letting him get away.

You can go after him, Armstrong said.

Youre not going to get him.

John Gibson: Gibson is pricey, with two years left at a $6.4 million AAV.

As with Demko, he also has a pretty extensive injury history.

But his career .910 save percentage in 506 career games is reason enough to consider him, and he also could serve as a bridge to the Flyers goalies in the system.

What makes this less likely is that Gibson has a 10-team no-trade list and may prefer to go to a contender, and one would think that if the two parties were seriously interested in one another, the Flyers and Ducks would have found a way to make it a package deal with Zegras.

Might have more to give Alex Lyon: The Flyers and Lyon know one another after the goalie spent the first four season of his professional career in Philadelphia (2017-18 to 2020-21).

While he never found steady footing as an NHL player during that time, he has since, appearing in 70 games with the Red Wings over the past two seasons combined.

Lyon has a winning record (51-38-11), a .902 save percentage and a 2.99 goals-against average in 113 career NHL games.

The free agent could probably be added on a cheap two-year deal (hes projected to get a two year deal, at $1.8 million AAV).

Elvis Merzlikins: The Columbus goalie makes far too much money ($5.4 million AAV for the next two seasons) for a guy with a combined .890 save percentage over the past three seasons.

But Merzlikins has previously said hed like to play somewhere else, so maybe a change of scenery would help rejuvenate his career.

This would be a true high-risk/high-reward transaction, although the Blue Jackets who hope to be in the playoff race next season might not be willing to deal him to a division rival.

If theyre desperate James Reimer: The elder statesman of this group at 37, Reimer has 15 years of NHL experience with seven different teams, usually providing steady goaltending, with a career .910 save percentage in 525 games.

I covered him briefly in San Jose, and it was evident right away hes a well-liked and low maintenance teammate.

Advertisement Anton Forsberg: Might the Flyers prefer an all-Swede tandem, with Forsberg and Ersson? Forsberg just wrapped up his fifth season with the Ottawa Senators, posting a .901 save percentage and 2.72 goals-against average in 30 games.

His best season came four years ago, when he appeared in 46 games with the Senators with a .917 save percentage.

Forsberg is from a town in Sweden approximately four hours north of Erssons hometown.

For whatever thats worth.

Ilya Samsonov: Another pending free agent, Samsonov has been a serviceable guy for the Capitals, Maple Leafs and Golden Knights in his six seasons in the league.

He posted a 16-9-4 mark for Vegas this season, with an .891 save percentage and 2.82 goals-against average.

Hes not likely to be high on the Flyers list, but hes worth a mention considering the clubs recent proclivity for Russian goaltenders.

Dan Vladar: Yeah, were really getting into the lower-tier options here.

Vladar is ...

fine? In four full NHL seasons, hes never finished with a save percentage above .900, although he came close in Calgary this season, at .898 in 30 games behind rookie Dustin Wolf.

Perhaps the Flyers might be able to unlock more from the 27-year-old free agent on a cheap, one-year, prove-it deal.

(Photo of Thatcher Demko: Derek Cain / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.