Report: Flyers agree to 2-year deal with goalie Brian Elliott

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Updated: 4:10 p.m.

It appears Ron Hextall has his goalie tandem.

A two-year deal with a $2.75 million AAV is in place between the Flyers and unrestricted free agent Brian Elliott, according to a report Friday by FOX Sports Midwest's Andy Strickland.

Teams are allowed to officially sign free agents starting at noon Saturday. Hextall could not comment on the report when speaking on a conference call Friday but said the team intends to sign a goalie Saturday.

Elliott, 32, has backed up and split time in net for much of his nine-year career. He's expected to do the same with Michal Neuvirth and the Flyers. Last season with the Flames, Elliott went 26-18-3 with a 2.55 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 49 games (45 starts).

Elliott's best seasons came with the Blues from 2011-2016, a five-year stretch in which he went 104-46-16 with a 2.01 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and two All-Star bids. He also has a relatively clean health history and is a veteran of 41 playoff appearances.

The Flyers did not feel comfortable enough heading into the 2017-18 season with the oft-injured Neuvirth and inexperienced Anthony Stolarz as their goalie duo. Neuvirth has a track record of injuries, including two to his left knee over his pair of seasons with the Flyers, while 2016-17 ended with a scary fainting incident. Stolarz, a restricted free agent, is 23 years old and has played just seven NHL games. He also suffered a left knee injury in April that requires three to four months of recovery.

"Let's see if we can find an option that is better for us short term," Hextall said a day before the NHL draft. "There is always an option. Is [Stolarz] the best option? I don't know if you can say that."

The Flyers and unrestricted free agent Steve Mason decided to part ways, per the goalie's agent Thursday. Other options in net, via free agency, were Jonathan Bernier, Antti Niemi and Ryan Miller. Bernier will likely demand more money, while the aging Niemi is coming off a disastrous season and Miller, who turns 37 in July, looks to be headed out west.

With the goalie addition imminent and the re-signing of forward Jordan Weal Thursday, Hextall's work this offseason is nearly finished before free agency even kicks off. There had been rumblings of the Flyers' eyeing free-agent forward Justin Williams, but any thought of that or inking another forward now seems unlikely.

"I don't want to box out young players, so I don't want to bring in a 35-year-old veteran now and box out a young player," Hextall said. "We felt really strongly about Jordan Weal. If we didn't sign Jordan Weal, we might've looked for one more forward to try and upgrade our skill level. But now that we have Jordan in the fold, we're going to hold there. The only thing I anticipate tomorrow is signing a goalie and maybe some depth for down below."

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