NHL Rumors: Philadelphia Flyers Making Trade Calls

Philadelphia Flyers goaltending has officially reached a tipping point, and Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports the club is now considering trade market alternatives if Samuel Ersson’s slide keeps costing them points. 

Ersson’s numbers have been rough over a two year sample, and this season has dipped to an .858 save percentage with a 3.33 goals against average. 

With the Flyers sitting in the thick of the playoff race, they cannot afford many more nights where the margin disappears early, especially with Dan Vladar already carrying a heavier workload than expected and the schedule tightening around the Olympic break.

Flyers weighing trade market versus internal fix

Di Marco notes the Flyers do have an internal option they like in Aleksei Kolosov, who has steadied his development path and has been strong with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at a .908 save percentage. 

He has also earned AHL recognition recently, which only reinforces why Philadelphia is hesitant to disrupt what is finally trending the right way for him. 

Samuel Ersson has now given up 4 or more goals in half his starts (8/16) this season. Not the usual Ersson Flyers fans have come to watch over the past two seasons. #LetsGoFlyers

— Brandon J. Sommermann (@B_Sommermann) January 11, 2026

The problem is the NHL club needs insulation now, and Ersson’s underlying results have not just been bad, they have been consistently near the bottom of the league by several measures. 

That leaves general manager Daniel Briere balancing two competing goals at once: protect Kolosov’s progress, but stop bleeding points in the standings.

Alex Lyon emerges as the realistic target at the right price

As for actual trade options, Di Marco frames the market as thin, but he specifically asked about Buffalo Sabres goalies Colten Ellis and Alex Lyon. 

The Flyers source was not eager on Ellis due to his lack of NHL experience, but was open to Lyon “at the right price.” 

Alex Lyon's last five appearances:

5-0-0 record
2.31 GAA
.922 Sv%

DIALED ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/D0gmY5hCtG

— NHL (@NHL) December 21, 2025

Lyon, 33, is on a two year, $3 million contract and was having a solid season when healthy, posting a .906 save percentage with a 10-6-3 record. The sense is Philadelphia would not want to go beyond something like a third round pick, particularly with Lyon having an extra year left. 

Buffalo’s recent surge also matters here, because a team climbing the standings is far less motivated to move a goalie unless the return helps immediately. 

Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images