Sam Ersson looks to be running out of gas as the Flyers get into the home stretch of the regular season.
Philadelphia Flyers goalie Sam Ersson has been having a hectic rookie season, to say the least.
He started off the 2023-24 season as the backup goalie to Carter Hart, who had been considered the Flyers' No. 1 netminder and franchise goalie since his NHL debut during the 2018-19 season. After a difficult first three games, Ersson got comfortable at the top level, and soon began to seriously impress viewers.
Soon enough, Ersson was starting more games over Hart and, in the opinions of many, playing better as well. As a rookie, it was evident that he still had a lot to learn and adjust to, but there was heaps of promise for the young Swede, giving Flyers fans hope that the organization might have finally found a reliable goaltending rotation.
Then, naturally, chaos ensued.
The Flyers announced that Hart would be taking a leave of absence from the team for "personal reasons," and shortly after, it was made public that Hart was being charged as a participant in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal.
With Hart no longer in playing contention, Ersson was thrust into the No. 1 goalie position. It was a task that he was up for, and one that he performed well in for a lengthy stretch of games. The Flyers had to scramble to find a backup for Ersson, initially calling up Cal Petersen from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, then swapping him out for fellow Swede Felix Sandstrom.
But did it really matter who Ersson's backup was when he was putting on great performances? Even when the Flyers lost, it was considered rarely (if ever, really) Ersson's fault. He was making heroic saves, taking accountability when he made mistakes, and overall looked to be handling this jarring transition with nothing but poise and maturity.
However, it's now becoming evident that Ersson is simply being overworked. Head coach John Tortorella confirmed that the team only planned to start the backup goalie "about five or six more times" during the last stretch of regular season games, meaning that Ersson would be taking on the brunt of the starts.
It wasn't an unexpected plan, and there were only so many goaltending options at the Flyers' disposal that they felt could handle the NHL, but it's now become evident that Ersson needs ample rest. He's been pulled in the first period in two of his three most recent starts—against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs—but didn't even look to be at his best against the struggling San Jose Sharks.
Although the Flyers still suffered a 6-2 loss against the Maple Leafs, when Sandstrom was put in to play the second and third period, he didn't look terrible by any means (especially considering he was facing, you know, the Toronto Maple Leafs offense). Sandstrom has previous experience at the NHL level, and while he was never quite able to hold onto a spot in years past, he's proving that with some more reps, he could very well be the backup Ersson needs.
At the end of the day, Ersson will probably still get most of the starts this season, barring some otherworldly collapse in form that would force yet another goaltending change. He's bounced back from disappointing performances before, and with his rookie season under his belt, will be better equipped to be a No. 1 next season. The Herculean task remains for the Flyers, though—the goaltending holes need to be addressed so as not to wear down the talent they already have in the system.
