The Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in a bit of a goalie predicament. The San Jose Sharks could be a team for the Flyers to target to help regain stability with goaltending depth.

The Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in a bit of a goalie predicament. The San Jose Sharks could be a team for the Flyers to target to help regain stability with goaltending depth.

Flyers goaltender Carter Hart has taken an indefinite leave of absence, which many suspect is connected to the 2018 World Juniors Team Canada criminal case. The Flyers declined to comment on the matter and have directed all questions to the league regarding that subject. 

The Flyers are left on the ice with Sam Ersson and Cal Petersen in goal. Ersson has stepped up in a big way this season. The 24-year-old goalie has a 12-7-3 record with a 2.44 GAA and a .903 save %.

Daniel Briere met with the media this morning and backed his now No. 1 goalie.

"We don't know what is going to happen with Carter. The team has put themselves in a great situation, that's the exciting part," Briere told members of the Flyers media. "The other exciting part is that Sam Ersson has taken a big step forward. We will have to protect him as much as we can. He's still developing."

It is no secret that Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen's name has floated around in trade rumors. He is a pending UFA and has had a bounce-back season in terms of performance. 

In 22 games this season, Kahkonen has a .902 save %. With a team like the Sharks in front of him, he has done everything in his power to keep his team in the game, just about every game he starts. 

In his last start against the Los Angeles Kings, Kahkonen tied his season high with 44 saves. The first time he made 44 saves this season was on the road against the New Jersey Devils. 

NHL GMs tend not to trade goaltenders within the same division and, most times, the same conference. With the Flyers on the other side of the country, step one of making this trade happen is already complete. 

Carter Hart's $3,979,000 cap hit won't count against the cap, and if Philadelphia acquires Kahkonen, they can send down Petersen and his $5 million cap hit. Kahkonen has a $2.75 million cap hit and would fit under the cap. 

Nobody expected the Flyers to sniff a playoff birth, yet with a record of 25-17-6, they sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division. The Sharks even helped the Flyers last night as they beat the New York Rangers in overtime, who are first in the metro.  

The Flyers and NHL world can not speculate how long Hart will be away from the team, and Kahkonen could be the perfect replacement for him. As Briere said himself, Ersson is still developing. Kahkonen is 27 and has seemingly found his game at an NHL level.

Putting Kahkonen in goal behind a John Tortorella defense would only help Kahkonen. The Sharks block a ton of shots and lack the defensive skill to do much more. The Flyers block a ton of shots but play a playoff-quality style of defense. 

If Hart misses extended time, look for the Flyers to be interested in Kahkonen. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's San Jose Sharks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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