Sharks goalie Alexander Georgiev is a bounce-back candidate worth considering for the Flyers. (Photo: Nick Wosika, Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/4be01f3b-025a-4564-9df3-854543e7c686.jpeg] Sharks goalie Alexander Georgiev is a bounce-back candidate worth considering for the Flyers. (Photo: Nick Wosika, Imagn Images) After being informed he’ll be let go this summer, San Jose Sharks goalie Alexandar Georgiev is now available to the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] in free agency. But should the Flyers even have any interest? Georgiev, 29, has seen better days in his NHL career. The formerly undrafted Bulgarian has posted a save percentage north of .900 just once since the 2020-21 season. And that one time was in the 2022-23 season, when Georgiev was 40-16-6 with the high-flying Colorado Avalanche, doing his part with a 2.53 GAA, a stellar .919 save percentage, and a career-high five shutouts. Notably, Georgiev also had save percentages of .910 or higher in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons with the New York Rangers, appearing in 33 and 34 games, respectively, in those seasons. The Flyers, in search of any kind of goaltending help, are actually a strong fit for Georgiev. It’s no secret that Georgiev has the ability to play at a high level throughout a full season; he’s done so multiple times in his eight-year NHL career. The former NHL All-Star has a career save percentage of .903, which is neither great nor terrible [https://www.nhl.com/sharks/player/alexandar-georgiev-8480382], but an upgrade for the Flyers by all accounts. If the Flyers were to take a chance [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/flyers-will-face-tough-competition-for-top-ncaa-coach] on Georgiev for one year, for example, and he rebounds from the form that saw him post a .875 save percentage this season, they would have rehabbed his trade value to the point where they could get an asset for him at the NHL trade deadline. Or, Georgiev could simply stay in Philadelphia to platoon with Sam Ersson and/or a Flyers goalie prospect until a true heir apparent emerges. Naturally, the Flyers and fans will have a great deal of concern about Georgiev’s propensity to self-immolate and meltdown to lose games. If Georgiev reprises his role as the pumpkin he turned out to be the 2024-25 season, it’s tantamount to the Flyers keeping Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/players/one-stat-that-separates-aleksei-kolosov-from-other-flyers-goalies] as their bloc of goalies. And in that case, the Flyers would be, whether they wanted to or not, positioning themselves well for the 2026 NHL Draft [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/philadelphia-flyers-steal-top-draft-pick-now-what], which is loaded with potentially franchise-altering talents like Gavin McKenna, Keaton Verhoeff, Ivar Stenberg, Dylan Roobroeck, and Viggo Bjorck. The Flyers would still be heading back to square one at the goalie position if that is how things played out with Georgiev, but it wouldn’t be for nought. McKenna, Stenberg, Roobroeck, and Bjorck all have the potential to set Matvei Michkov up with a running mate for the next two decades with a proper development plan and supporting cast. Georgiev won’t be the only external goalie option available to the Flyers this summer, but this year’s free agent goalie class is a thin one, and Georgiev is one of the most unlikely to receive a contract offer from a Stanley Cup contender. His implosion in Colorado nearly upended the Avalanche’s season before GM Chris MacFarland intervened with haste. Without Georgiev, the Sharks will turn the keys over to top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov, someone who represents what the Flyers should be looking at with respect to the future at the position. That someone is not readily apparent [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/players/top-flyers-goalie-prospect-demoted-to-finish-season] within the Flyers’ organization, but signing Georgiev could buy the Flyers some time to figure that all out in the end.
