Philadelphia Flyers make smart decision by re-signing Brian Elliott
Brian Elliott has re-signed with the Philadelphia Flyers for one year and $1.5 million.
The Philadelphia Flyers checked off an important part of their offseason to-do list on Saturday, Oct. 3 when they re-signed veteran backup goaltender Brian Elliott to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.
Last season, Elliott served as the backup goaltender for young star goalie Carter Hart. Elliott posted a .899% save percentage with a 16-7-4 record. Though his numbers weren’t outstanding on the ice, he developed a very good relationship with Hart.
It’s worth pointing out even Hart wanted the Flyers to bring back Elliott. That says a lot about how the young goalie views his mentor.
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This will be Hart’s fourth consecutive season with the Flyers and his second straight one-year deal. He originally signed a two-year deal with the Flyers back in 2017.
In a loaded goaltending market, there were probably some better options. However, the Flyers needed an inexpensive option and Elliott is an option they’re familiar with. They didn’t want to risk losing him, even in a goalie market filled with options.
Also, keep in mind Hart’s the clear number one goalie. He doesn’t need a 1b goalie anymore. The Flyers just need a backup. Elliott is perfectly capable in that role and the Flyers have some other options in their organization as well.
Elliott has appeared in 472 regular season games in his career, 430 of those being starts. He has 241 wins with a career GAA (goals against average) of 2.50 and a career save percentage of .912%. Additionally, Elliott has 48 postseason appearances (45 starts) with a .904% save percentage and a record of 17-26.
The Flyers attention now turns to re-signing RFA defenseman Philippe Myers, who was a pleasant surprise this season. He put up 16 points in 50 games as well as four points in 17 postseason games while averaging 17:06 per game during the regular season and 20:02 per game during the postseason.
They also have to re-sign RFA forward Nolan Patrick, which should be interesting, given his injury history. Also, the Flyers must decide whether or not to re-sign UFA forwards Tyler Pitlick, Derek Grant, and Nate Thompson. They’re likely parting ways with UFA defenseman Justin Braun.
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After re-signing Elliott, the Flyers have $4,735,273 of cap space. It should be interesting to see how they use it this offseason.