By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
For Brian Elliott, when Flyers GM Ron Hextall called, it was a special moment for the 32-year-old free agent goalie looking for a home.
"When a guy like Ron Hextall calls you and says he's liked you for a long time and wanted to try to get me on his team, it's pretty special," Elliott said. "I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity. Coming to a great city like Philadelphia, I've always loved playing there. It's such a great crowd and atmosphere and arena. I wanted to be on the home side of that."
Elliott signed a two-year, $5.5 million deal with the Flyers officially on Saturday, making him the latest in the ongoing goalie carousel for the Flyers.
Elliott doesn't seem to mind the Flyers current situation. With Michal Neuvirth under contract, it is going to be a platoon for the next couple of seasons before a prospect may be ready to take the reigns. Elliott, who has played alongside goalies like Chad Johnson, Jake Allen and Jaroslav Halak in his career, playing in a tandem is nothing new for him.
"I've been in the same type of situation for my whole career," Elliott said. "It's not something I shy away from or am concerned about. I want to play as many games as I can. With how the new NHL is and the schedule, it's tough to play all those games. Lots of teams are switching to having two guys that can hold down the fort. There's still competition, you want to be the guy that can be counted on game in and game out. If you're playing well you get reward, if you're going to keep winning you'll stay in the net."
Even if playing in a tandem doesn't indicate exactly which goalie will be considering the 1A starter or who will see more playing time as the season progresses, Elliott looked at the Flyers in their current state and sees an opportunity for a team to have success beyond the regular season.
"They're one of those teams right on the cusp of making the playoffs," Elliott said. "I think that with how they play the overall game, they're an aggressive team, play in all ends of the ice, and I thought that it was a really good opportunity to take that next step, make the playoffs and do something special. I wanted to be a part of that.
"For myself I just try to keep working hard and eventually things turn in your favor and you end up playing the bulk of the games. I want to come in and contribute as much as I can and be a guy that can be counted on."
Flyers Sign Two Forwards to Two-Way Deals
In addition to the Elliott signing, the start of free agency was quiet for the Flyers. They officially announced that they re-signed Mike Vecchione to a one-way, two-year deal and also announced deals with two AHL players.
Corban Knight, who scored 11 goals and had 29 assists for 40 points last season for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, is also returning on a two-year, two-way deal.
The Flyers also signed forward Phil Varone. Varone played for the Binghamton Senators last season, scoring 15 goals and adding 36 assists for 51 points in 72 games. He has 50 NHL games in his career as well, scoring five goals and adding five assists in that time. He is a six-year AHL veteran.
Podcast
