NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers to Target Two Goalies in Trade Talk

The Philadelphia Flyers didn't make a move to upgrade their goaltending at the trade deadline. But that doesn't mean they won't be looking to do that this offseason.

Certainly, they're more than happy with the performance of Dan Vladar as the starter this season, but the continued shaky performance of the backups has led the team to consider how they'll move forward in the crease for next season.

Daily Faceoff's Anthony Di Marco, and Kevin Kurz of The Athletic have both written recently that the Flyers will look to find a 1B or backup between the pipes this summer.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has gone one step further, on the Hello Hockey podcast, naming two specific trade candidates who made the rounds before the deadline, as goalies the Flyers will be pursuing.

Keep an eye on Philly with respect to either Jesper Wallstedt or Joseph Woll, I think there might be some interest there that they'll discuss in the summer.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a three-goalie tandem going into next season, with Woll, Anthony Stolarz and the emerging Dennis Hildeby, who broke through big-time in 19 games with the big club this season (.910 save percentage, 2.90 goals against average).

Leafs projected to make one goalie available via trade this offseason

Both Woll and Stolarz are signed for a few more years. Woll is completing the first season of a three-year deal with a $3.67 million cap hit, but Stolarz's four-year deal only begins next season, at a $3.75 AAV. Teams around the league may be wary of four years of Stolarz with his extensive injury history. Granted, Woll has spent plenty of time on the shelf himself in his time in the NHL, but a shorter commitment by two years is a much more palatable risk on that front.

As for Wallstedt, he's been having a terrific rookie season as the backup to Filip Gustavsson for the Minnesota Wild. Wallstedt has a .912 Sv% with a 2.77 GAA and a 14-6-6- record. His name was shockingly on the rumor mill heading up to the deadline, but with big playoff plans ahead, the only way the Wild would have given him up would have been for an absolutely huge return.

In the offseason, once the dust has settled and the Wild see what their needs are to get to the pinnacle, they could certainly revisit something with the young goalie being one of their best trade assets.

As for the Flyers, as mentioned, they love what they've seen of Vladar, and will be talking extension with him as of July 1 (he has one year remaining at $3.35M AAV). But the work of backups Samuel Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov left much to be desired this season. They will look to shore that up this summer.