Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott has re-signed with the team on a one-year pact, giving him $2 million this season.
THE MOOSE IS BACK.https://t.co/PEcYAquBzn
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 26, 2019
Brian Elliott Re-Signs with Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers Brian Elliott isn’t really anything more than a reliable backup option at this point in his career. But still, the Flyers keep a mature, veteran option to complement young star Carter Hart. In his 12 seasons of NHL hockey, Elliott has provided his services to the Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, and Calgary Flames in addition to his stint in Philadelphia. In 441 career appearances, he’s put up a 225-139-43 record in 403 career starts. He’s also posted a 2.48 goals against average, .912 save percentage, and 38 shutouts. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Elliott has a 16-25 record in 45 career appearances. In those 45 games, he’s provided a 2.76 goals against average, .903 save percentage, and one shutout.
Last season, Elliott played in 26 games with 23 starts for the Flyers. He had a 11-11-1 record with a 2.96 goals against average, .907 save percentage, and a single shutout. His best season came in 2011-12 with the Blues. He put up a 23-10-4 record with a 1.56 goals against average, .940 save percentage, and nine shutouts.
Elliott has also posted eight career assists.
What This Means for the Future
The arrival of Hart to the City of Brotherly Love has Philadelphia set in net for the foreseeable future. However, Hart is still only 20-years-old, and expecting him to entirely carry the team this early in his career in unrealistic. The worst possible thing the Flyers can do is stunt Hart’s development by putting too much pressure on him too early. Elliott provides Hart with a solid relief option as well as invaluable mentorship.
In addition, with lower expectations and a lighter workload, it’s entirely possible that Elliott sees an improvement in his numbers as well. This would give Philadelphia a very strong 1A/1B tandem in Hart and Elliott. That could certainly give them a foundation to return to the playoffs in 2019-20.
