(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Dan Heaning, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
With Michal Neuvirth returning to the active roster, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall will have to make an interesting decision about his goaltending: Keep both netminders or trade one before the NHL trade deadline.
The true motivation here comes from the impending conundrum this upcoming offseason with the expansion draft and having two potential unsigned unrestricted free agent goalies.
That question mark seemed to have turned into a resounding exclamation point for Steve Mason, who seized the starting job since Neuvirth went down with the injury. Now, with Neuvirth back, Mason has struggled along with the team in front of him.
Given the Flyers 10-game surge and following struggles, should Hextall consider dealing the Czech netminder after Neuvirth gets a few games under his belt? Or do Mason’s inconsistencies make a veteran backup necessary?
To start, the Flyers are in desperate need of cap relief. With eight defensemen on the roster, the blue line might be a more suitable starting point to make deals. Yet, due to being a better asset, it might be easier for Hextall to navigate a trade involving Neuvirth than it would be one involving Nick Schultz or Andrew MacDonald.
With that said, any haul for Neuvirth likely won’t be as grandiose than if the Flyers GM traded him last season. That simply wasn’t an option given his play then. However, for this season, the team should only really be looking to add a replacement backup and a draft pick or two.
Acquiring a new backup goaltender could help the team in multiple ways. First, it will give Mason the unquestioned title of starting goaltender. Mason has played much better when the net was his and his alone during this season and in the past as well. Moreover, a new goalie who happens to be signed through next season could help the Flyers in the expansion draft.
In the scenario that the Flyers have not re-signed Mason and acquired a goaltender signed through the 2017-18 season, Hextall could protect Anthony Stolarz in the expansion draft. This would allow the Flyers to keep Stolarz, potentially re-sign Mason afterward and comply with the rules of the expansion draft.
That isn’t necessary, though. Hextall can gamble on Stolarz not being taken, re-sign and protect Mason and just re-sign Alex Lyon who is exempt from the draft. The caveat to that is if Las Vegas does take Stolarz, the Flyers would be in the market for a backup goaltender as Lyon may not be ready just yet to take that position next season. However, they would have Mason as the starter. Protecting Stolarz could create a situation where the Flyers are left without a starter.
Speaking of losing Mason, why not trade him? His trade value would be higher than Neuvirth's since Mason has remained healthy this season. Despite that, it is an insane gamble to trade away the team's No. 1 goalie through the first half of the season and rely on one that's missed most of those initial 41 contests.
So, if the Flyers are going to move a goaltender this season, it is going to be Neuvirth, not because of superior or inferior play, but because there would be no telling when Neuvirth could go down next and leave the Orange and Black with Stolarz as the man between the pipes.
Those concerns go both ways too. The biggest drawback to moving Neuvirth is the inconsistencies in Mason’s game. Mason is more than capable of winning a hockey game by himself, he’s also capable of losing one. Neuvirth is the same. Both proved as such over the last few seasons.
With Mason’s and Neuvirth’s streaky tendencies, the smartest and most prudent move for this season is to have both established goaltenders around just in case.
Another aspect of a potential Neuvirth deal is the buyer. Who needs help in goal? The Los Angeles Kings have been without the services of Jonathan Quick, but Peter Budaj has filled in rather nicely in his absence. With Quick set to return in February, the opportunity to make a deal with LA has long since passed.
The St. Louis Blues have the worst save percentage in hockey. Since they are contractually locked in with Jake Allen, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be active on the Ben Bishop market. That’ll change, of course, if they decide Allen is worth exposing in the expansion draft and acquire Bishop for a better chance of winning this season.
If not, the Blues may want a more stable backup than Carter Hutton, who has a .893 save percentage. Hutton’s salary is only $500,000 less than Neuvirth so a small package of Hutton and a draft pick and a conditional pick could be something the Flyers would consider.
That deal could allow Hextall to circumvent the rules of the expansion draft and hold on to both Mason and Stolarz.
However, Mason will need to earn that unquestioned starter position with more consistent play. Oddly enough, he might be able to provide that more readily with a lighter workload now that Neuvirth is back. Or, maybe, the competition will weigh him down again. What happens from here is truly an unknown.
What is known, though, is that this question will ultimately come down to is Hextall’s confidence in this season’s team. If he thinks it can make a run at the playoffs then removing a piece like Neuvirth from the equation decreases those chances and hurts the team.
If the team shows him those chances are gone or a delusion than selling off a player the team will lose at the end of the season makes the franchise better for years to come.
With about half the season left, the Flyers are in playoff position, but will need to steady the ship to stay the course. Just how well they can do that will determine whether the trade winds blow through Philadelphia and which goaltender, if any, finds a new home.
