The 2025-2026 NHL Regular Season was an overall success for the Philadelphia Flyers. They weren’t supposed to clinch a postseason berth. Then, in the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Flyers certainly weren’t supposed to advance past the NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Yet, they’re still standing. Philadelphia, down 3-0 in the NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals, is set to host the Carolina Hurricanes for Game 4.
To clinch a postseason berth, the Flyers had to go on a legendary run. After the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Rick Tocchet coached Philadelphia to an 18-7-1 record.
Dan Vladař stood on his head for the Flyers down the stretch. He finished 12-6-1 with a 2.26GAA and a 90.7%SV. Vladař did his job as the starting goaltender in Philadelphia. He was named the team’s most valuable player, earning the Bobby Clarke Trophy.
He had help along the way.
After the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Samuel Ersson found his groove. Ersson finished 6-1-0 with a 1.77GAA and a 91.1%SV. The goaltenders refused to lose out on clinching a postseason berth, and it took every bit of a combined effort.
Vladař emerged as the starter in 2025-2026. In the postseason, he cemented his position with the Flyers to date. Tocchet started Vladař in every matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and against the Hurricanes in the NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals. Incredibly, Vladař is 4-5 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.11GAA, and a 92.1%SV.
This isn’t about Vladař. He found his home in Philadelphia, remaining under contract for the 2026-2027 NHL Season.
Instead, this is about Ersson’s future with the Flyers. He’s going to be a restricted free agent eligible for arbitration. There isn’t a window where he’ll be the starting goaltender in Philadelphia. However, he could remain a tremendous fit in a backup role. Ersson always thrived as a backup goaltender.
It’s too early to move on from Ersson. First, the market this offseason doesn’t offer any significant upgrades to help Vladař. Secondly, Ersson needed almost two seasons to regain his confidence. Lastly, it would be a terrible time for the Flyers to drop him as the salary cap increases on an inexpensive contract.
There’s value, and to understand that, this should serve as a reminder:
2023-2024
In 2023-2024, Carter Hart began the regular season as the starting goaltender, and Ersson assumed his place as the backup. Hart requested a leave of absence, and it was granted. His career in Philadelphia was finished after he was charged with sexual assault relating to the 2018 World Juniors. On the ice, the fallout hurt the Flyers.
However, while Hart and Ersson were on the roster, the concept of a starter or backup goaltender wasn’t crystal clear. Hart started 25 games. Ersson started 19 games. Hart, the starter at the beginning of the season, finished 12-9-3 with a shutout, 90.6%SV, and a 2.8GAA. Ersson, the backup at the beginning of the season, went 12-5-3 with three shutouts, 91%SV, and a 2.19GAA while Hart was available on the roster.
Once Ersson became the de facto starting goaltender, all the pressure went directly onto his shoulders. If John Tortorella needed to start someone in place of Ersson, whether it was due to goaltender fatigue, back-to-back scheduling, or an injury, he had Cal Petersen, Felix Sandström, or Ivan Fedotov to rely on. In the blink of an eye, Ersson went from 10 starts in 2022-2023 to 49 in 2023-2024, which remains a career high.
As soon as there wasn’t a tandem mold to fit after Hart exited, Ersson finished 11-14-4 with a shutout, 87.5%SV, and a 2.86GAA.
Thrown into the fire as a matter of circumstance and not development, Ersson wasn’t prepared to take the lion’s share. Philadelphia entered panic mode in terms of goaltending.
2024-2025
Headed into 2024-2025, Ersson was named the starting goaltender. Fedotov was the initial backup goaltender until Aleksei Kolosov held the Flyers hostage for playing time. Suddenly, Fedotov and Kolosov were splitting backup duties behind Ersson. If we’re recalling this correctly, Ersson and Fedotov were on time in training camp. Kolosov, after a collection of reports citing how he felt ‘isolated,’ didn’t report to training camp on time until negotiating a solution that required giving the AHL and NHL a shot.
Kolosov was under contract. He held Philadelphia over a barrel, not respecting the contract he signed. It wasn’t as if the Flyers had a sturdy goaltending tandem. Competing against Fedotov for the backup goaltender role should’ve been all Kolosov needed to arrive on time at the Flyers Training Center.
Yet, on October 27th, 2024, Kolosov became the third goaltender to start a game for Philadelphia. Fedotov was 0-3-0 with an 82%SV and a 4.66GAA by the time Kolosov split the backup shares. Ersson was 2-2-1 with an 87.2%SV and a 3.16GAA.
Throughout 2024-2025, the trifecta was an utter failure. Ersson, Fedotov (6-13-4, 88%SV, 3.15GAA), and Kolosov (5-9-1, 86.7%SV, 3.59GAA) made up a bottom-tier NHL goaltending group.
Ersson, above all, proved not to be a starting goaltender in 45 starts (22-17-5, 88.3%SV, 3.14GAA).
2025-2026
Daniel Brière needed to address the goaltending group. On July 1st, 2025, Brière signed Vladař to a 2yr/$6.7mil ($3.35mil/AAV) contract. Then, on September 14th, 2025, he moved Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick. Kolosov returned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he should have been, instead of bartering an agreement with the Flyers for playing time while threatening a return to the KHL. This season was handled thoroughly by Vladař and Ersson, where Kolosov started two games (0-1-0, 79.1%SV, ~2.5GAA) and lastly pulled in a home loss to the New York Rangers after allowing three goals on as many shots in 8:25TOI.
There was a competition for the starting goaltender role in Philadelphia. It was Ersson’s job to lose. Vladař never started more than 29 games in his NHL career until this season. Yet, he did start the season against the reigning and defending NHL Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.
Starts were split, 60%-40%, in the first 10 games of 2025-2026. That included no back-to-back scheduling. Vladař began to settle into the starting goaltender role with a 4-2-0 record, 93.9%SV, and a 1.66GAA; Ersson stepped into the backup goaltending role, once again, with a 2-1-1 record, 87.6%SV, and a 3.25GAA.
Context is critical when reviewing the struggles Ersson faced this season. He was never supposed to be sprung into a starting goaltender position, dating back to 2023-2024, yet he carried that weight through 2024-2025.
It wasn’t immediate, but Ersson did find his groove again as a backup goaltender after the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, showing how he can thrive in the proper role in the NHL after regaining his confidence.
2026 Free Agency Market: Backup Goaltenders
So, what is the goaltending market if the Flyers are looking for an upgrade to strengthen the backup goaltender position?
I’ve looked into the upcoming 2025 free agent pool to consider some names. For the 2026-2027 season, the NHL salary cap stands at $104mil. That’ll give Philadelphia about $39.4mil in cap space to extend contracts, tender offers, and sign free agents and prospects.
Remember, Vladař will make $3.35mil next season. If you’re being mindful of the cap, the backup goaltender won’t make nearly the same money as the starter.
Stuart Skinner
Skinner is not under contract for next season. In 2023-2024, he signed an extension with the Edmonton Oilers. This season, the Oilers shipped Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round draft pick to the Penguins for Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin.
Pittsburgh could promote Artūrs Šilovs. In the regular season and postseason, Šilovs posted better numbers than Skinner. That makes two different teams in the same season where Skinner wouldn’t be the starting goaltender. He’s losing leverage quickly regarding an argument that he should be a starting goaltender in the NHL for 2026-2027.
In November, Skinner will be 28 years old. He finished 23-17-9 with two shutouts, 88.8%SV, and a 2.92GAA in the regular season, then went 0-3, 87.3%SV, and a 3.08GAA in the postseason. Skinner will be an unrestricted free agent after making $2.6mil/AAV.
Daniil Tarasov
Tarasov is not under contract for next season. Before this season, the Blue Jackets shipped Tarasov to the Panthers for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick (Owen Griffin). Tarasov signed a 1yr/$1.05mil contract with Florida, serving as the backup goaltender to Sergei Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky will be 38 years old before the 2026-2027 NHL Regular Season. He doesn’t have plans to retire and wants to remain with the Panthers. That’ll keep the status quo in Florida regarding the goaltenders. Tarasov would maintain his backup goaltender role if offered an extension by Bill Zito.
An upcoming unrestricted free agent, Tarasov finished 13-15-3 with an 89.5%SV and a 3.05GAA.
Akira Schmid
Schmid is not under contract next season. Last season, Kelly McCrimmon signed Schmid to a 2yr/$1.75mil ($875k/AAV). He’ll be a restricted free agent eligible for arbitration.
This season, Schmid took the lion’s share of the starts. However, the Vegas Golden Knights are committed to Hart and Adin Hill beyond this season. It isn’t clear where Schmid stands among the goaltenders on the Golden Knights. He started 29 games this season, a career high, which indicates a backup goaltender workload.
His 16-10-6 record, featuring two shutouts, 89.3%SV, and a 2.59GAA says that Vegas would be wise to find a place for Schmid. If he’s turned loose, there will be a demand, which McCrimmon ought to shop for assets.
Playing The Market
Brière doesn’t need to emphasize the goaltending group in the 2026 NHL Offseason. Ersson, for all intents and purposes, fits well to help the Flyers compete for a postseason berth next season with Vladař.
Ersson is younger and less expensive than Skinner. Then, Tarasov isn’t a big upgrade from Ersson, and the Panthers may not be ready to recall Cooper Black from the Charlotte Checkers. Lastly, Schmid would be the top target in the market to replace Ersson, but Philadelphia would likely need to surrender assets, and Schmid is going to carry a heavier cap hit.
This is the market, and for a backup goaltender, it would be wise for Brière to negotiate an agreement with Ersson to remain on board with the Flyers at around the relative value he’s already receiving, according to the increase in the salary cap.
Philadelphia Flyers: Goaltenders in Development
First and foremost, Philadelphia is not in a position to panic. That is the biggest aspect of the goaltending situation for the Flyers. Since 2023-2024, we’ve learned that Ersson is not a starting goaltender, and after he regained his confidence and got comfortable as a backup again, he played very well to close out 2025-2026.
There are no prospects in the pipeline knocking on the doorstep to challenge Ersson, either. Brière would be wise to have a prospect on his radar in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Currently, Philadelphia has five total draft picks in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft; one per round, excluding the fourth and fifth. Brady Knowling, Dmitri Borichev, Patriks Plumins, Tobias Tvrznik, and Filip Ruzicka are all goaltending prospects who could be available in the third round.
At the moment, here’s a snapshot of the goaltenders within the Flyers’ system:
Aleksei Kolosov
Kolosov will be a restricted free agent eligible for arbitration.
On the Phantoms, in 2025-2026, Kolosov finished 15-21-2 with two shutouts, 89.5%SV, and a 2.98GAA. When he did appear in the NHL, he didn’t help his case that he would compete for a backup goaltender role.
If Kolosov remains in the system, Lehigh Valley would be his home. He’ll likely want to return to the KHL. That’ll create an opportunity for another prospect to step into the starting goaltender role on the Phantoms in 2026-2027.
Carson Bjarnason
Carson Bjarnason is under contract through 2027-2028.
Bjarnason finished 14-11-4 with an 87.7%SV and a 3.43GAA in Lehigh Valley. He served as the backup goaltender to Kolosov, and if you assess his first season in the AHL, there’s more to like. Over the last couple of seasons, the Phantoms made it into the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs. This season, that didn’t happen, yet Bjarnason can say he finished with more regulation wins than losses.
Next season, Bjarnason is primed for a starting goaltender role in Lehigh Valley. It’ll be interesting to see where his development takes him in the AHL.
Yaniv Perets
Yaniv Perets is not under contract.
Perets finished 2-3-0 with a shutout, 90.5%SV, and a 2.71GAA with the Phantoms. However, most of his time throughout his career is logged in the ECHL. This season wasn’t any different, where he finished 14-8-4 with three shutouts, 91%SV, and a 2.84GAA with the Reading Royals. Then, Perets competed in the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs, going 1-2-1 with a 94%SV and a 1.77GAA before the Royals were eliminated by the Wheeling Nailers.
Previously, Perets had NHL experience. He appeared in two career NHL games for Carolina, going 0-0-0 with an 87.5%SV and a 2.86GAA. There’s a lot here to suggest that he could feature in a backup goaltending role behind Bjarnason if he gets an opportunity with Lehigh Valley in 2026-2027.
Yegor Zavragin
Yegor Zavragin is not under contract.
Zavragin would be the prized goaltending prospect remaining in Philadelphia’s system. Brière chose him in the third round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Next season, he’s under contract with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.
On April 10th, 2026, there was a rumor about Zavragin signing an entry-level contract with the Flyers. In the same breath, Zavragin’s representatives denied the report. At best, the rumor and report seemed like a shot in the dark, hoping there was validity to it rather than any real accuracy. The rumor started via a report from Artur Khairullin. It’s May 8th, 2026, and those rumors fell flat.
Matvei Michkov arrived in Philadelphia earlier than expected. If Zavragin does arrive for the 2026 Flyers Rookie and Development Camps in Voorhees Township, NJ, it would be a pleasant surprise.
Matej Tomek
Matej Tomek is not under contract.
Tomek was a third-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. If you aren’t familiar with him, that’s fair. He was a Ron Hextall selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Sandström, Travis Konecny, and Ivan Provorov were taken ahead of him in Philadelphia’s 2015 draft class.
His contract expired with HC Litvinov in the Czech Extraliga this season. However, there’s no reason to believe he’ll suddenly appear at the 2026 Flyers Development Camp. Philadelphia owns Tomek’s rights indefinitely, like Zavragin.
