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Flyers Should Sign Free Agent Goalie
The Philadelphia Flyers came into the 2023-24 season with three goaltenders on the roster: Carter Hart, Cal Petersen and Samuel Ersson. Hart is the starter, and his play this year has proven that. Ersson and Petersen have given the team enough to work with to earn some wins as well.
Carter Hart.
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Having a veteran goaltender could be incredibly beneficial for a young player like Hart. It's tough to remember that Hart is only 25-years old, yet is in his sixth season playing in the NHL. A player that young can stand to be around an experienced goalie who can help him get into the right mindset to be a lifelong NHL netminder.
Jaroslav Halak has made the news in the past week. He signed a tryout agreement with the Carolina Hurricanes - and just yesterday - the Hurricanes and Halak decided to part ways.
Could this be an opportunity to get Hart that veteran presence as a mentor? It's worth a shot.
Jaroslav Halak.
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Halak is a free agent and they wouldn't need to give up any assets to acquire him. The 38-year old would carry a very inexpensive contract as well. The last contract he signed was with the New York Rangers for a one-year $1.5-million deal. I could see him signing a league minimum contract for one-year.
Halak still has gas in the tank. He's coming off of a 25 game season with the Rangers where he posted a 2.72 goals against average (GAA) and a .903 save percentage (SV%). His record was 10-9-5 with one shutout to boot.
He's been a very consistent goaltender over his 15-year NHL career - boasting a 2.49 GAA and a .915SV% across the entirety of his NHL playing career.
He's not a showstopper, but he can get the job done. At a cheap price with no need to give anything up to acquire him, it feels like a no brainer for the Flyers to at least consider.
Related: Flyers Receive Reinforcements On the Backend
Related: From the Archive: Q&A With Philadelphia Flyers GM Daniel Briere
