Speculation has run rampant on how to improve the Philadelphia Flyers this off-season. What moves need to be made, who they’re currently targeting, who they should be targeting, and who they’re linked to; it’s been on automatic ever since the playoffs started. The biggest change the Flyers can hope for this off-season is actually not a trade or a free agent signing; its internal and it’s Carter Hart. Yes, this team needs to prioritize defense and maybe find some depth scoring but if they can get Hart to rediscover his goaltending form from 2020, that would make all the difference in the world moving forward.
The way the Flyers flamed out of the 2020-21 season was, in a weird way, incredible. They weren’t even close to the team that was one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, let alone the far superior team that lead them to the number one seed in the East. They were barely a shell of that team and every single thing they touched from March onwards turned to dust.
When they were scoring, they weren’t getting the defense or goaltending. When they got good goaltending, the goals dried up and they couldn’t find the back of the net. The assistant coaches ran their special teams to the ground and Alain Vigneault made some head scratching decisions along the way that benefitted nobody. Since they’re the last line of defense, the goaltending had to deal with the brunt of the blame. However, when trying to relay blame, it really does become a “which came first: the chicken or the egg?” argument. The defense was horrendous but the goaltending didn’t help the cause either.
Despite his age and total lack of experience, a lot was expected from Carter Hart. He was unbelievable in stretches during the shortened 2019-20 season, especially on home ice where he was 20-3-2 with a .943 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.63. He followed that up with a very good showing in the playoffs, where he went 9-5 with a .926 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average. It was only going to be the beginning of greatness at a position the Flyers have floundered in for decades.
What came to be in 2020-21 was nothing short of a travesty. He looked like a shell of his former self, he mentioned that his confidence was no longer there, and he was pulled far too many times. He ended up finishing the year 9-11-5 with a .877 save percentage and 3.67 goals against average. The month of March was even worse for him as he went 2-6 in 10 games with a .815 save percentage and a goals against average just north of 5. The clutch saves that he constantly made the previous year, that always kept his team in the game, were no longer there. It was a domino effect that started with the defense, since every mistake they made ended up in the back of the net.
It was an awful year for everyone and it was even harder for an honest competitor like Carter Hart. Physically and mentally, he took the losses to heart and blamed himself. The team around him was flawed and the defense did him no favours. He was close to righting the ship, or as close as you could, considering where the season was at the time. Before getting injured he played 5 games in April and had a .910 save percentage and 2.31 goals against average. So that was definitely a positive way to end a very wretched season.
Now we’re entering a very crucial 2021-22 campaign, where the Flyers can’t afford another setback. They’ve been floundering for years and success hasn’t been synonymous with Flyers hockey in quite awhile. They became the first team in major sports to alternate between making the playoffs and missing the playoffs in a 10 year span. Which is why all eyes are going to be planted firmly on GM Chuck Fletcher and what moves he makes to improve the team. Yes, they need a lot of external help but Carter Hart regaining his confidence would be the most impactful change for the upcoming season.
On paper, this team was nearly identical to the one that actually had playoff success the year prior. Regardless of how bad the defense was, the goaltending fell off and could never allow the rest of the team to regain its footing to either push forward or make a comeback. Throughout a game, goalies have moments that can turn the tide for their team and for the most part, he made those saves in 2019-2020.
2020-21 was a different story and he played way too small a lot of the time. Backbreaking early goals and late period goals were so prevalent that any momentum they ever built was washed away in seconds. There were a lot of games where when they were clawing their way back in, they would let in a soft momentum-killing-goal. If that wasn’t the case, then they were most definitely on the back-foot from the very beginning, as they always allowed the first goal and had to play catch-up far too often.
We know how important the goaltending position is as we witnessed a little bit of that in our lone successful season. We’re even witnessing it right now with the great performances from Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Carey Price’s goaltending has essentially propelled the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Finals. Carter Hart is a very young and talented goaltender who will find his confidence again, that much is known. However, it has to be as soon as possible and they have to find him a much better backup.
The NHL has moved into an era of tandem goaltending and Brian Elliott can no longer be expected to handle those duties. He was good at times but it was few and far in between, especially after the midway point of the season. He’s been a good veteran teammate but it’s time to find a goalie, at least for the time being, who can actually carry a 30-35 game workload. It was evident that Elliott couldn’t handle a heavy workload and if Hart struggles again or goes down with an injury, the Flyers need to have someone much more dependable to take over.
Options seem to be endless this summer with some very good names on the open market. Goalies that are realistic targets include: James Reimer, Jaroslav Halak, Chris Driedger, and Linus Ullmark. All of them being reasonably priced, have had experience in playing in a tandem, and are experienced enough to help guide and mentor Hart (mostly in the case of Halak and Reimer). If they could get 30-35 games covered by another goalie, it would give Hart the rest he needs, the confidence he so requires, and the relief of knowing he’s not the end-all-be-all in net for the time being. It’s a lot of pressure, especially in Philadelphia, and a little bit of help never hurt anybody before.
So yes, the Flyers front office should be looking at making big moves to alter the trajectory of this team heading into the 2021-22 season. It’s a good sign that the Flyers are acknowledging their woeful defense as they’re linked to nearly every impactful player on the open market. However, the most important change or improvement must come from Carter Hart, as goaltending is the most pivotal position in this sport. We’ve seen teams with inferior offenses make strong pushes towards the playoffs and even in the playoffs, mostly because of team defense and goaltending. Luckily for the Flyers, their offense is actually better than most teams and their defense should be revamped. If Carter Hart can regain his 2019-20 form, I have no doubts in my mind that the 2021-22 Flyers are going to have a very successful campaign.
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