Flyers Sign Back-Up Goalie

The Flyers have brought back Michael Leighton to be the back-up goalie.  After trading away Sergei Brobosky to Columbus earlier in the week, Michael Leighton will likely be the Flyer backup goalie behind Ilya Bryzgalov – Leighton has re-signed with the Flyers for one season and $900,000.

Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren hinted last week that Michael Leighton might fill the team’s vacated backup spot and it appears that is exactly what will happen with this deal.  For all the Leighton jokes, it’s easy to forget that he’s a goalie that helped the orange and black make a deep playoff run during the 2010 playoffs and compiling a 24-8-2 record overall.

Leighton, 31, was an AHL All-Star last season with the Phantoms where in n 56 games, he was 28-26-1 with a 2.55 GAA and .918 SV%. He’s coming off a 2-year, $3.1 million deal with the Flyers in which he played just one NHL regular season game.

Who else was available you might be asking?  A few backup level goalies have signed deals in recent days, including former Flyer starter Marty Biron with the Rangers and Scott Clemmensen who went to the Panthers leaving only a few options on the market, like Chris Mason of the Jets and Johan Hedberg from the Devils.

I think this is a solid move for the Flyers, they have to make sure they back-up goalie isn’t someone that the fans will want to take over for Bryzgalov at anytime (Brian Boucher, who is hurt anyway), but can come in an win games when needed – Leighton fits that bill.

What do you think of Leighton being the back-up goalie this season?

***Earlier this year, Mike Gill caught up with Michael Leighton has he got ready to play in the AHL All-Star game in Atlantic City to talk about his future with the Flyers.

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