Sizing up the backup goalie battle as Flyers training camp rolls on

Sam Ersson is proud of what he accomplished last season, he said Wednesday night. He said he knows he put himself in a better position within the Flyers organization after groin surgery ruined the goalie’s 2021-22 season.

The 23-year-old Swede, a fifth-round pick by the Flyers in 2018, flashed in 12 games with the big club last year and had a 2.84 goals-against average in 42 games with Lehigh Valley. He was rewarded with a two-year contract extension that kicks in starting in 2024.

“I know that doesn’t really mean anything coming into this year,” Ersson said after a 2-1 loss to the Islanders. “I still have to fight for everything, and when I get in if I want to be up with the big team, I have to prove it.”

It’s still plenty early in training camp, but Ersson is still looking the part. He was solid in two periods Wednesday against the Islanders, beaten only by a shot he never saw off a broken play.

It was Ersson’s first game action in his bid to make the NHL roster out of camp, a task he was up to last year before the Flyers sent him to the Phantoms to start the season.

The race for No. 2 goalie might not be the most exciting topic in Flyers training camp, but it’s arguably the most intriguing roster battle right now.

Sure, a few young guys are pushing to make the club at forward and defense, but the backup goalie job features three players fighting for one spot. Through two preseason games, the three — Cal Petersen, Felix Sandström, and Ersson — have each played two periods.

Ersson and Sandström appear to have the upper hand.

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But which player the Flyers keep to back up Carter Hart isn’t just about who the best goalie is, even if coach John Tortorella made it sound that way Thursday.

Ersson is the only one who remains waivers-exempt, so the Flyers could send him back to Lehigh Valley without the risk of losing him.

They don’t have the same luxury with Sandström, 26, who has been solid with the Phantoms but not all that impressive in 25 NHL games. Petersen, the former Kings goalie acquired in the Ivan Provorov trade, is not likely to be swiped if the Flyers place him on waivers. He was included as a salary-cap dump, and his $5 million hit isn’t very attractive for a guy who seems to be fighting his game.

Petersen got the first crack at making an impression in the preseason opener Monday night and allowed four quick goals in the first period and a fifth early in the second during a 6-0 loss to the Devils.

The Flyers, tired from the hard skating early in camp, weren’t very good in front of him, but he didn’t help his case.

“He was left hung out to dry, but we still need to get a save, too,” Tortorella said. “Everybody stunk that night, including our goalie.”

Tortorella, who relies on goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh when it comes to evaluating, watched the two preseason games from high above the ice while Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière coached from the bench. Tortorella seemed more impressed with Ersson and Sandström and said he liked how Ersson handled the mental component of the game last season.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of panic if there’s a bad few minutes,” Tortorella said. “I think he’s got the right swagger.”

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Tortorella said he didn’t think the waiver process would be a major factor in the team’s decision on who wins the job.

“Sooner or later you got to start moving by that stuff,” he said. “It’s kind of unfair when we want to talk about merit and not stay with merit right on through no matter what position it is.”

There’s another layer to this, though. There remains the ongoing investigations into an alleged 2018 sexual assault involving members of Canada’s World Juniors hockey team, which Hart played on. No one has been charged in the alleged assault, but at some point, players could face suspensions.

Would the Flyers risk losing Sandström in waivers and then have their goaltending depth impacted by a possible suspension? It’s all part of the decision facing the organization.

For now, though, the competition will continue to play out. And Ersson said Wednesday he sees it as a wide-open one.

“Obviously this is fun,” he said. “You want to be a pro hockey player. You want to feel that little bit of nervousness throughout games, practices, everything. It’s really fun going to work and you know every day means a lot.”

The Flyers practiced Thursday with what appeared to be a mostly NHL club. As far as surprises, there maybe wasn’t a bigger one than seeing 20-year-old Samu Tuomaala with the group. The 2021 second-round pick from Finland has impressed the Flyers in camp and exhibition games.

Tortorella said Tuomaala will likely get at least one more preseason game and the Flyers want to see him in a top-six offensive role. It’s still quite a long shot that he makes the team.

The Flyers return to preseason action Friday with a road game in Boston. They then host the Devils on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center. ... Cam Atkinson returned to the ice Thursday morning after a few days off for what the Flyers called soreness in his lower body. He said he feels good and it’s likely he plays in one of the two games this weekend. Expect to see him make his preseason debut Saturday at home. ...

Cam York did not participate in the regular portion of practice, but he did go through a light skate after being held off the ice since Monday with an undisclosed injury. Tortorella said the defenseman is day-to-day. ... Rookie goalie Carson Bjarnason was returned to his junior team.