Michal Neuvirth Now a Philadelphia Flyer

The Philadelphia Flyers signed netminder Michal Neuvirth to a two-year, $3.25 million deal Wednesday afternoon.

After former-Shark Antti Niemi joined the Dallas Stars, Neuvirth became one of the better goaltenders in the free agency market. He has the experience and the statistics to make a positive impact on most teams in the NHL.

The ex-Washington Capital has 150 starts under his belt with a record of 66-63-17. While that win-loss ratio is subpar by most standards, he has posted a career .912 SV% over his career. That number is right around the league average, meaning his skill is higher than what his record shows.

Michal Neuvirth signs with #Flyers, $3.25M for 2 years. Cap hit of $1.625M.

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) July 1, 2015

He even posted a .921 SV% in 29 starts with the Buffalo Sabres. That is impressive.

The Czech netminder will take the backup role behind Steve Mason to start next season. This is an interesting but understandable decision. Although Neuvirth has a better career save percentage and a similar goals against average, Mason has been impressive with the Flyers over the past two years. He holds a .923 SV% and 2.26 GAA in 119 games with the Pennsylvanian franchise.

Philadelphia has assembled a solid goaltending tandem that gives them security in case of injury and allows them to play the hot hand throughout the season. The team that was once a revolving door of netminders now has two high-caliber men in net. Shooters beware.

Follow all of Wednesday’s free agent signings with The Hockey Writers’ Free Agent Tracker.

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