The Philadelphia Flyers are officially in a rut. It’s no longer a slide, a skid, or simply being stuck in the mud. They are firmly in that mud and face an uphill battle to get out of it.
While there are plenty of areas that need improvement, goaltending is in the spotlight. Dan Vladar is out for at least the next few games, and even when he does return, the Flyers aren’t going to want to run the risk of wearing him down. Sam Ersson built some confidence in relief on Saturday, allowing 3 goals on 25 shots (.880 save percentage) to bring that up to .855 on the season, but neither he nor Aleksei Kolosov looks like an NHL goalie right now.
Danny Briere and the rest of the Flyers’ front office now have a few options. That can continue to run this trio of goalies and hope that things either turn around or go so poorly that they end up with a top draft pick. But it doesn’t exactly look like this team is going to want to sell, for better or worse, with this season expected to be a step forward for the club.
So the other option might just be a trade. There aren’t a ton of goalies available on the market, so Briere would have to dig one up or take a perceived risk on a player. If Vladar can return and be the leading goalie in a tandem, getting him a reliable backup — which Ersson has proven not to be — could make the difference. Hell, it might be worth it for the Flyers to trade for someone who does have experience as a starter in order to ease Vladar’s workload after his injury and within the condensed schedule in the second half of the season.
Flyers could trade for Jordan Binnington to fix their biggest problem
One of the names that could be available and thrive with a change of scenery is Jordan Binnington.
I know, I know. You’re already rolling your eyes and want nothing to do with the hot-headed ‘tendie from St. Louis. “His numbers are even worse than Ersson’s,” you exclaim, “the worst in the league!”
Yes, you definitely wouldn’t be getting Binnington at the top of his game. In fact, this is most likely the bottom of his game.
His -18.5 goals saved above expected are the worst in the league, per MoneyPuck, and his .871 SV% and 3.53 goals against average are career worsts. Yet, somehow, he is able to lock in and come up big in big games, which is why Team Canada trusted him at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year and will likely again at the upcoming Olympics. There is a great goalie in there somewhere, and a change of scenery — especially to a city like Philadelphia — could ignite that.
With Binnington, you wouldn’t have to worry about him wearing down. He’s started at least 54 games in three straight seasons with varying results. He hit a career-low .894 SV% when he started a career-high 60 games in the 2022-23 season, bounced right back with a .913 SV% in 55 starts the following year, and .900 SV% in 54 starts last year. At this point, a .900 save percentage is all the Flyers really need.
And while Binnington has a horrible GSAx this season, he posted a +5.3 last year and +16.5 the season prior.
Binnington does have a 14-team no-trade clause, so he might be able to nix a trade to Philadelphia anyway, but there might be a slight connection with Rick Tocchet, who is on Team Canada’s coaching staff.
The main issue that people might have with trading for Binnington, besides the potential disruption of the locker room — which could maybe use a disruption right now –, is his contract. He has a $6 million cap hit for this year and next before becoming a free agent in 2027.
While this would make some teams pause, the Flyers don’t exactly have to worry about the salary cap next season. They have to re-sign a few restricted free agents, but paying just under $10 million for Binnington and Vladar ($3.35M) next season doesn’t seem too far-fetched, especially given the rising cap.
That $6 million cap hit might actually work in the Flyers’ favor to take it off the Blues’ books. They have Joel Hofer ready to take the reins, and they could swap Ersson as a young-enough backup to find his game in St. Louis
Binnington is the type of goalie who could rejuvenate his career a bit with a change of scenery, especially to a city like Philadelphia, where his hot-headedness will be fully embraced.
The best-case scenario would be that it works out and the Flyers turn things around to make the playoffs, and maybe Binnington steals a round, depending on the opponent. Or, for you tankers, he flames out and takes the team with him to the bottom of the standings.
If the Flyers trade for Binnington and it doesn’t work out? They only have to deal with his contract for one more season, and they could probably peddle him off on some other goalie-needy team next season.
It’s so crazy that it might just work.
