The Philadelphia Flyers have been notorious for their struggles in net in recent memory. Goals saved above expected (GSAx) is a great way to put that to the test, as the statistic tracks how many fewer goals a netminder is allowing versus what is generally expected. Excluding defensive woes, which Flyers’ starters have been the best since the statistic started being tracked in 2008-09?
7. Brian Elliott (-26.1 GSAx)
Brian Elliott fell victim to one of the most disappointing seasons in Flyers’ history in 2020-21, which accounts for nearly all of his low GSAx score. When he was signed prior to the 2017-18 season, he was meant to be a short-term starter and perhaps take on a backup role if necessary. For four seasons, he was that for Philadelphia.
Overall, Elliott’s first season with the club was a decent one. He was the main netminder for Philadelphia in 2017-18, where he started 42 games and held a 23-11-7 record. His 3.5 GSAx on top of that was good enough to get Philadelphia to the playoffs, but he saw significant struggles when he got there. A few rough games put his season total for GSAx at a negative number. That overall number never changed for his Flyers’ tenure.
Elliott was relegated to a backup role for the next two seasons, but saw an opportunity to take the starting job after the Flyers needed someone to take charge. His minus-19.3 GSAx didn’t help matters, and he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning after that season. He had his ups and downs, but he was serviceable for a few years.
6. Ilya Bryzgalov (-7.4 GSAx)
Ilya Bryzgalov is widely considered one of the worst goaltenders in the history of the Flyers, but this is mostly due to the nine-year, $51 million contract he signed with the club before the 2011-12 season. After only two slightly below-average seasons in terms of GSAx, he was bought out by the club, solidifying one of the bigger failures the team has ever had.
Bryzgalov was known for his obscure mannerisms and wacky personality. While this was fun to observe as a fan, this could have been a reason for his disappointments in Philadelphia. The media is known to be tough, especially in a big market city like the Flyers have. At times, he was grilled, especially for how much he was being paid. He became one of the media’s favorite targets, and this took a toll.
In Arizona, his career GSAx of minus-10.8 didn’t imply that he would be much better with Philadelphia, but they gave him a payday to see if he could build off of his 7.4 GSAx campaign in 2010-11. This didn’t happen, and his deal went down as one of the most criticized ever. His individual numbers weren’t as bad as they seemed, primarily because the team’s defense was nowhere near the same group without veteran Chris Pronger. When he was lost, there was virtually no hope for the Flyers’ back end. If things played out differently, there is a chance that Bryzgalov is seen as a decent goaltender in Philadelphia. There is certainly justification for his disappointments, although they were slightly exaggerated by his cap number.
5. Michael Leighton (-5.2 GSAx)
Michael Leighton has served as another target of Flyers’ fans, especially for his performance in the Stanley Cup Final for the team in 2009-10. Many like to forget his excellence before that, which should be what he is remembered for. While his GSAx states that his overall numbers were a bit below average, his peak was much better than that.
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As a starter in the regular season, the journeyman goaltender was mostly just serviceable. When he had to take over for an injured Brian Boucher in the 2010 Playoffs after an injury, he was incredible. A .948 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.45 goals-against average (GAA) in the second and third round of the postseason was sensational, but he was definitely a big step below that against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Final. Though short-lived, his story was pretty fantastic.
4. Martin Biron (-3.3 GSAx)
Martin Biron only had one season with Philadelphia while GSAx was being tracked, so it is a bit more difficult to fully assess him. An argument could be made that he actually played some of his best years with the Flyers even though he is more known for his time with the Buffalo Sabres.
The Flyers’ defense was much better at this time than it was in the years following this, so his GSAx is low despite his .915 SV% and 2.76 GAA. For a netminder in his 30s, his time with the Flyers was positive overall.
3. Carter Hart (2.2 GSAx)
Carter Hart has been the epitome of up and down in Philadelphia. His 2.2 GSAx does not speak to his true abilities, but the fact that he is there at all speaks to his resilience. After a combined minus-25.1 GSAx in 2020-21 and 2021-22, he had a bounce back in 2022-23 with a career-best 10.3 mark in the regular season.
There should be some hope that Hart moves higher on this list as soon as this season. His absolute peak came in 2019-20, where he had a GSAx of 18.1 in the regular season and playoffs combined. Two poor seasons hurt his public reputation, especially among the fanbase. The defense in Philadelphia has not been a huge aid to him for the last three seasons.
2. Sergei Bobrovsky (4.4 GSAx)
Sergei Bobrovsky was one of the best in Philadelphia since 2008-09 according to the analytics, which makes it even more absurd that he was dealt from the team after his 2011-12 campaign. After outplaying Bryzgalov in that season in terms of GSAx, he was shipped to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a small return. That next season, he won his first of two Vezina Trophies with the team.
Bobrovsky never showed significant progression with Philadelphia, but that doesn’t mean he should have been traded, as he was the best the team had at the time. A change of scenery proved to be necessary, so it might have been a career-saving move for him. For Philadelphia, they could only be left thinking about what could have been.
1. Steve Mason (34.6 GSAx)
With no room for doubt, Steve Mason has been the best goaltender for the Flyers since 2008-09. With several elite seasons that went virtually unnoticed by the fanbase, he definitely does not get the kudos he deserves.
For years, Mason was one of the best goaltenders in the entire NHL if GSAx is taken into account. In 2014-15, he was the fourth-best goaltender in the category for the whole league despite his team finishing with the seventh-worst record in hockey. Without him, there would certainly be grounds for the narrative that the Flyers’ goaltending is consistently among the worst in the league.
Related: 3 Underappreciated Flyers’ Goaltenders Since 2000
As a whole, the Flyers rank 20th in terms of GSAx since the 2008-09 season for their starters alone. With a total of a minus-0.8 GSAx since that date, they are about as average as possible. With Hart in goal today and some young netminders in the pipeline, there should be hope that this can change.
