Flyers re-sign goalie Brian Elliott
The veteran received a one-year deal that has a $2 million cap hit.
In a bit of a surprise, the Flyers re-signed Brian Elliott on Wednesday to be their backup goaltender.
It was surprising because Elliott was injury-prone the last two seasons. He received a one-year deal that has a $2 million cap hit.
General manager Chuck Fletcher called Elliott a "proven, quality goaltender who competes and battles hard every time he has the net."
Elliott, 34, was 11-11-1 last season with a 2.96 GAA and .907 save percentage. He was limited to 26 games because of injuries. In two seasons with the team, he has a 34-22-8 record with a 2.77 GAA and .908 save percentage.
Fletcher said he talked to several prospective free-agent goalies in recent days before deciding to sign Elliott.
“The more we dug, the more comfortable we felt coming back to Brian,” Fletcher said.
Elliott, a two-time All-Star who will enter his 13th season, is expected to serve as Carter Hart’s backup. He will play a decent amount because the Flyers have 17 sets of back-to-back games.
“I’m really excited,” Elliott said, adding he was encouraged by the Flyers’ offseason additions. “Whenever you sign with a team, you want to see it through and try to create things and be part of something special.”
Curtis McElhinney, who helped Carolina reach the Eastern Conference Finals, is one of the goalies expected to become an unrestricted free agent Monday, and he appeared to be one of the Flyers’ options.
McElhinney, 36, had a 20-11-2 record with a 2.58 GAA and .912 save percentage for the Hurricanes last season.
In signing Elliott, the Flyers cut ties with Cam Talbot, acquired late last season when they sent Anthony Stolarz to Edmonton.
“We talked extensively to both Cam and Brian,” Fletcher said. “Cam indicated through his agent he was looking for a situation where he felt he might play a little bit more than what he anticipated playing here. He’s hoping to become a No. 1 goalie again, and we certainly respect that.”
Talbot, who has served as an unofficial mentor to Hart in recent summers, played in just four games with the Flyers (3.70 GAA, .881 save percentage) after struggling with the Oilers in 31 games earlier in the season. He will turn 32 on July 5.
With Edmonton in 2016-17, Talbot was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league’s top goaltender.
Elliott has had a pair of surgeries connected to a core-muscle injury the previous two seasons.
“We know his medical history better than anybody,” Fletcher said. “... He came back healthy at the end [of the season]. I spoke to him today, and he feels great. This is the best he’s felt in a while, and he has a full summer of training.”
Unofficially, the Flyers have about $16.2 million in cap space and have 18 players under contract who are expected to be on the team. They still need to sign restricted free agents Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, and Scott Laughton.