The Philadelphia Flyers have signed free-agent goaltender Martin Jones to a 1 year, $2 million deal.
G Martin Jones 1 year $2m with Philadelphia.
— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) July 28, 2021
Martin Jones Signs With Philadelphia
Over his eight-year career, Jones has spent much of it as a starter for the San Jose Sharks. After breaking into the league as a 24-year-old with the Los Angeles Kings, Jones was traded to the Sharks ahead of the 2015-16 season. He immediately assumed the starter role in San Jose, starting 65 games in his first season. He backstopped the Sharks all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, putting up a stellar .932 save percentage despite losing the series in six games.
Since then, Jones has operated as the Sharks’ starter, albeit with declining results in almost every year since. Over the past three years, his play has dipped considerably with a .896 save percentage in each of the last three years. His play had fallen to such a degree, that the Sharks opted to buy the netminder out, despite a cap-hit charge that will cost $10 million and last another six seasons.
Jones and the Flyers will be hoping that a change of scenery will lead to better results.
What This Means Going Forward
Jones will be getting a fresh start in Philadelphia, behind a team that has firmly entrenched themselves in win-now territory. Thankfully for Jones, the pressure won’t all be on his shoulders. Jones will presumably perform in a tandem with the Flyers goalie of the future, Carter Hart. Hart is coming off a disappointing campaign himself, one in which he started less games than Brian Elliott, compiled a .877 save percentage, and a steep 3.67 goals-against average.
Based on last year’s numbers alone, the Flyers haven’t significantly upgraded in net. The Flyers, however, are betting on Hart returning to his great numbers from two and three years past, while Jones can perform as an adequate tandem partner in a reduced role. The Flyers will need this relatively risky bet to pay off if their goal of winning now is to become a reality.
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