Sam Ersson returns to practice; three Flyers appear to be 4 Nations Face-Off bound

The Flyers' goalie conundrum has taken a turn — a good one.

Sam Ersson returned to practice on Monday, marking the first time he skated with the team since he sustained his second lower-body injury a few weeks ago.

“Feeling good,” Ersson said. “Body is feeling good, and mentally is just getting back there. It’s fun to be back so just enjoying it.”

Ersson said he had been skating “for a little bit” before Monday and was with the team in St. Louis on Saturday. The Flyers did not hold a morning skate in Missouri but did have an ice slot available.

“Just kind of like ramping it up as we go,” he said. “I’ve been taking my time listening to the body, really making sure that I’m at where I need to be able to go.”

“You want to be 100% every time you get back. You can’t go before that,” he added when asked if he was more careful this time since the injury was a reoccurrence.

» READ MORE: Q&A: Flyers president Keith Jones talks Matvei Michkov, prospects, the goalie situation, and more

Ersson started the season strong, going 4-2-1 with a 2.72 goals-against average, an .897 save percentage, and a 25-save shutout of the Boston Bruins. At the time, he was the only Flyers goalie with a win as the team struggled to rediscover the identity that made it successful last season.

He started the Nov. 2 game against the Boston Bruins but left in the first period after appearing to suffer an injury. He missed a pair of games and returned a week later, helping the Flyers earn a point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers with 28 saves. Two nights later the cool, calm Swede stopped 28 more in a 4-3 shootout win against the San Jose Sharks.

But Ersson, 25, has not played since, missing the past nine games. It’s not surprising that the Flyers are taking their time with the young goaltender. Although the only thing officially confirmed is a lower-body injury, he has dealt with groin issues before. He was limited to five games in 2021-22 — two of which he couldn’t finish — in his first season with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.

With defenseman Helge Grans loaned back to Lehigh Valley, the expectation is that Ersson could return to action this week. He did chuckle and say, “We’ll see,” when asked if he would play on Thursday when the Panthers are in town.

“Big part of our team,” defenseman Travis Sanheim said. “Obviously, whenever we can get him back out there and in game action, it’s going to be nice to see him. It’s nice to see him right now in practice and [in] saying that, the other two guys have done an awesome job in his absence. It’s nice to have that many goalies that we can rely on.”

The other two guys have done an awesome job. Since Ersson’s last game on Nov. 11, the duo of Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov have gone 6-2-1. Before Ersson went down the second time, Fedotov was relegated to third string and the duo had one win in six games; Fedotov got his first NHL win against the Tampa Bay Lightning when Ersson was first out.

“It’s great,” Ersson said. “I think I talked about that a little bit before the year. It’s what it’s all about, you stepping up when you need to. There’ll come your moments when you need to be the guy who’s stepping up, and I think they’ve both done that in a big way here. The group, we as a team, we’re kind of on a roll where you got high confidence in the group.”

So the next question is: What happens now? When Ersson officially returns, the Flyers will have three NHL-caliber goalies.

“It’s not a bad thing to have,” winger Travis Konecny said. True, considering that the Flyers have struggled between the pipes for years.

“Graveyard,” coach John Tortorella interjected when the organization’s goaltending history was brought up. But when asked about the future, the coach would not commit to anything.

“We got to keep evaluating. That position isn’t a 10-, 15-, 20-game type situation. Think we’ve got to figure it out. That’s a process of trying to figure out what your tandem is going to be. It’s not ideal to have three around all the time.

» READ MORE: The Flyers have a good problem with both Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov finding their game in goal

“I think eventually we’re going to have to figure this out, depending on health, right? Depending on if Sam comes back. Sam is our No. 1 guy. We’ve got to figure out what happens after that as we push through here.”

Tortorella said it was “worrisome when we lost Sam.” It’s a fair assessment considering how the season started for Kolosov, and especially Fedotov. The recently turned 28-year-old, who was once named the Kontinental Hockey League’s top goalie but missed 2022-23 due to a Russian military commitment, looked stiff and awkward to start but has found his game.

“He was here all summer long, doing his work, getting ready for the season, and it did not start off right,” Tortorella said. “I’m really happy that he’s handled it. He’s just hung in there, didn’t make any excuses, kept his head down, worked his game, and has found a way.

“To me, it was competing. He was just competing harder. And when you see athletes get put into a spot where the spotlight’s kind of on you for the wrong reason, to answer the proper way, I’m thrilled for him, and I hope he keeps growing.”

While no one wanted to see Ersson get hurt, the opportunity to see the organization’s depth at the goaltending position became available. Ersson is still being evaluated, too, according to Tortorella. But for Tortorella, a grizzled, veteran coach who is a teacher at heart, he has been the one to learn a valuable lesson the past few weeks.

“I learned lessons, daily, is you don’t give up on people because they struggled, and you don’t say, OK, you give them the house because they played well for a few games. You’ve got to go through the process of this. If you do it the proper way, you’ve to go through the whole process and then I think you’ll settle in as far as what the guy is.”

Grans has been returned to the Phantoms. The move opens up a roster spot for either Ersson or defenseman Jamie Drysdale to return to the lineup. Drysdale has not played since sustaining an upper-body injury in the Flyers' shootout loss to the Florida Panthers on Nov. 9.

Grans, 22, made his NHL debut against the Colorado Avalanche, registering his first NHL point. In six games, he has looked steady while skating an average of 14 minutes, 28 seconds of ice time.

It was a small sample size for Grans, but Tortorella was pleased with what he brought, considering that “he wasn’t tearing it up in the American League.”

“He just played,” Tortorella said. “Wasn’t afraid of the moment. Had ups and downs at certain times, which we expected. Emil [Andrae] has, too. But you watch them after they have a down play or a down shift — and that’s what I watch, [to] see how they handle it, [and it] didn’t affect him. Played a lot of good minutes. Really interesting to us. Big, long, right-handed shot defenseman. You always have time to take a look there.”

Sanheim, Konecny, and Rasmus Ristolainen appeared to be getting congrats and pats on the back before practice. The three have long been rumored to be in the mix for the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament scheduled in February. Sanheim and Konecny, who first met representing Canada at the 2014 U18s, would face Ristolainen and Finland on Feb. 17 in Boston. The tournament also includes the United States and Sweden, with games also in Montreal. The rosters will be announced on Wednesday. ... Defensemen Cam York and Erik Johnson did not practice Monday. According to the team, each had a maintenance day. ... The NHL announced that the Flyers' home game on Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club has been moved from 7 to 7:30 p.m.