Flyers 2023-24 Player Grades: Sam Ersson

Overall, he had a .890 save percentage (SV%), a 2.82 goals-against average (GAA), and a minus-4.8 goals saved above expected (GSAx). While Ersson’s individual numbers weren’t very good, his 23-19-7 record was ultimately pretty solid.

Ersson’s high workload didn’t exactly work in his favor, as he did have great numbers before it kicked in. From the start of the season through Jan. 18, he had a .911 SV% and a 2.26 GAA in 20 contests. If his first two contests are excluded from that, he had an elite .928 SV% and a 1.85 GAA. From Jan. 20 forward, though, he had an abysmal .876 SV% and a 3.23 GAA in 31 games.

Once he began starting every single game instead of every other, Ersson just wasn’t able to return to form. When he was the part-time starter, he was sensational. When that was taken away from him, he struggled immensely. That could be something that improves with age, but that is a clear weak point of his game at this stage.

Ersson’s Good Starts Outnumbered Bad Starts

Of his 49 starts in 2023-24, Ersson had 13 above a .940 SV% (26.5 percent), 18 above a .920 SV% (36.7 percent), and 28 at or above a .900 SV% (57.1 percent). More than half the time, he played well in the net. More than a third of the time, he was great in net. Over a quarter of the time, he was superb.

When Ersson was playing well, it was absolutely needed. The Flyers averaged just 1.21 goals more than they allowed in his .900 SV% games with 17 of the 28 starts being one-goal contests. He had essentially zero margin for error all season long. Not making one save would have been the difference between a win and a loss in many instances. Again, that’s a lot on the plate for a rookie.

When Ersson was poor, he was very much so. At his worst, he couldn’t make as much as a single save that wasn’t routine. He didn’t exactly cost them any games, so it’s not like he was a double-edged sword for the Flyers. Looking at it that way, he was one of the team’s most valuable players.

Ersson’s Final Grade

Ersson was 47th out of the 65 netminders who appeared in 20 or more contests in goals saved above expected per 60 (GSAx/60) at minus-0.103. He was better in the stat than five starters including Filip Gustavsson, Elvis Merzlikins, Ilya Samsonov, John Gibson, and Joonas Korpisalo. By no means was he the worst starter overall in the NHL nor on the brink of being so, which is pretty remarkable considering his situation.

Due to this fact and that he was meant to be a backup but had to take on a starter’s role instead, a C-minus grade is about fair for him. It’s hard to justify a .890 SV% goaltender being anything too high, but he had some great moments.

Ersson took some steps forward into becoming a part of the Flyers’ future. He might not be the future starter with a player like 22-year-old Alexei Kolosov in the system, but he could still be on the team for a while. Ersson was fantastic as an every-other-game starting netminder, so that could be what his future looks like.

If Philadelphia can have two great goaltenders instead of just one for years to come, that could give them a boost over other teams. The Boston Bruins have used that model and excelled with it, so that might be something the Flyers want to replicate. It’s never a bad thing to have a player like Ersson.