Philadelphia

The Flyers' crease has been nothing short of a circus over the years. With that in mind, what Steve Mason has done in his two years in Philadelphia has been remarkable. However, things took a strange turn before Christmas when Mason suffered a back injury during practice. He was able to return after missing just four games but there were tons of reports that he was playing at far less than 100%. Then he suffered a knee injury on Saturday and is scheduled to miss two weeks.

Even though there appears to be a set schedule for Mason's return, many questions remain. When he gets back in the Flyers' crease, will he still have lingering injuries? If so, how much will it affect his play down the stretch?

While Mason is out, the goaltending duties fall on the shoulders of Ray Emery and journeyman Rob Zepp. You should not count on Emery being effective in any role greater than seldom-used backup. That leaves Zepp, who has been a strong goalie everywhere he has been but at age 33 won just his second NHL game last night. Considering Zepp received the first available start following his call-up, it may be his crease for now which makes him a decent wild card as a short-term fantasy pickup.

At this point it is unlikely that the Flyers will be much of a factor in the chase for a wild card playoff spot. This makes all three Flyers' goalies undesirable down the stretch, with Mason only having appeal in leagues that count peripheral categories if his body can hold up after he returns.

Workhorses

Some of the starting goalies are capable of logging an obscene amount of time in the crease, sometimes practically doing the job of two goaltenders. This year has shown a few such examples. The fantasy implications are significant – owners of the #1 goalie benefit from the abundance of starts while the backup just about falls off the map. Sometimes, the backup receives so little attention that the team opts to have him spend time in the minors to stay fresh.

Braden Holtby (WSH) – The young Holtby has greatly benefited from the arrivals of head coach Barry Trotz and goalie coach Mitch Korn. While the skill has always been there and the strong numbers have been there in the past, Holtby has played so well that he is simply not getting any time off. As a result, he is already at the 20-win mark, three shy of his career-best. Meanwhile, backup Justin Peters has only seen action seven times, compiling a 2-3-1 record. He was assigned to the AHL's Hershey Bears for a pair of games in a conditioning assignment. Unfortunately, that does not help his NHL value. The once-promising goalie has been a non-factor this year.

Carey Price (MTL) – Price is in the midst of perhaps his best season as he has become a serious contender for the Vezina trophy. He has seasons of 65 and 72 games in his past and appears set to reach this level again while perhaps topping his career-high 38 wins. That leaves backup Dustin Tokarski in the dark with very little fantasy appeal. After a good showing in the playoffs last spring, many expected Tokarski to play a greater role and give Price more nights off. Instead, like Peters, Tokarski was sent to the AHL for a pair of games during a conditioning assignment.

Cory Schneider (NJ) – In his first full season as a #1 goaltender, Schneider has been excellent while receiving very little rest. This is not uncommon for the Devils as they used Brodeur similarly for more than a decade. The only drawback for Schneider from a fantasy perspective is that the Devils are awful which makes it difficult for their goaltenders to accumulate wins. Beyond Schneider, the backup gig has been interesting. Scott Clemmensen, the opening-night starter, showed that he is not an NHL goalie and was much better keeping the bench warm with a smile on his face. Youngster Keith Kinkaid subbed in to play the backup role and fared much better, allowing Schneider more rest of late. Kinkaid has made good strides in recent years but will likely be nothing more than an NHL backup.

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