It’s time for another round of NHL Rumours with us here at Last Word On Hockey. Goaltending and the Philadelphia Flyers are topics that go hand-in-hand. As the struggles for one goalie continue, the team may be considering alternative options. As a note, remember that all NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours: Flyers Considering Options to Replace Goaltender
Rumour: Daily FaceOff’s Anthony DiMarco wrote on January 13th that while alarm bells are not ringing just yet, the Flyers have started to consider alternative options to replace Samuel Ersson if his struggles continue, according to a team source.
Analysis: It’s been no secret the struggles that Samuel Ersson has endured this season. It started in training camp, when the supposed starting goalie for the Flyers was surpassed by Daniel Vladar. Ersson’s early starts didn’t help restore confidence, and his most recent appearances are starting to hurt the team’s bid for a 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff appearance.
DiMarco refers to “alarm bells not ringing just yet.” That was on January 13th. The next day, Vladar went down with an injury. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, who spoke with Flyers general manager Daniel Briere on Thursday, the injury isn’t believed to be serious or long-term.
And, @emilymkaplan just reported essentially the same thing on ESPN https://t.co/tNtLMEZpyD
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) January 16, 2026
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That said, Ersson was going to get another chance in the driver’s seat. He was pulled from Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins after allowing three goals on 14 shots. So the struggles have only continued to mount, and it may force the Flyers’ hand if they want to keep their playoff hopes going for the rest of the season.
What It Means
The Flyers ran into a similar problem two seasons ago. Things were moving along nicely until Carter Hart’s departure on leave of absence in January. That put Ersson in the spotlight, and he handled it well. By the end of the season, with Felix Sandstrom and eventually Ivan Fedotov trying to stabilize the backup role, Ersson was overused and unable to maintain the results from earlier in the season. The Flyers dropped in the standings and missed the playoffs.
This season, Vladar has been leading the way in goal. Ersson has had his moments, but has largely been inconsistent. His .853 save percentage ranks last among goalies who qualify among league leaders.
Aleksei Kolosov took over in goal after Ersson’s departure on Thursday. He would likely get the first opportunity to be an internal solution for the Flyers. But Kolosov is still in his second full season in North America and was developing nicely in the AHL. It’s possible the Flyers want to look for an outside option for the NHL and let Kolosov continue his development in the minors.
Teams that currently have three goalies on the active roster could be possible targets for the Flyers. The Buffalo Sabres have carried three goalies for most of the season, and the Anaheim Ducks have also had three different goalies get regular playing time. Perhaps one of those teams could be a partner for the Flyers in a trade, providing an opportunity for the third goalie in the group to get more playing time.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images