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After all these years, Flyers' goalie picture still fuzzy

Maybe in a couple of seasons, hotshot prospects Carter Hart or Felix Sandstrom will be the Flyers' No. 1 goalie and stay there for the next decade, finally giving the franchise some much-needed stability at the sport's most important position.

Maybe in a couple of seasons, hotshot prospects Carter Hart or Felix Sandstrom will be the Flyers' No. 1 goalie and stay there for the next decade, finally giving the franchise some much-needed stability at the sport's most important position.

Right now, however, the Flyers are in their umpteenth year of playing "Who's No. 1?" It seems they have been searching for their go-to goalie since Ron Hextall was in the nets.

Yeah, it's been a while.

Currently, there is extra intrigue surrounding the team's goalie situation because of the X-factor, the June 21 expansion draft for the Vegas Golden Knights, and which goaltender the Flyers will expose and which one they will protect.

Hey, it's difficult to predict which goalie will get the majority of starts in the season's last five weeks, let alone which one will get protected so he can't be gobbled up by Vegas.

The Flyers goalie picture didn't come into focus just because they signed Michal Neuvirth on Wednesday to a two-year extension for a total of $5 million. (That said, if Neuvirth reverts to last year's form, the Flyers got a bargain for someone who may serve as a bridge to their talented prospects.)

On one hand, it seems as if the Flyers would protect Neuvirth because they appear lukewarm on Phantoms goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who was impressive in a four-game stint with the Orange and Black earlier this season but has not been lights-out since returning to Lehigh Valley.

On the other hand, Stolarz, 23, is almost six years younger than Neuvirth, so protecting him over an older player who has an injury-filled past makes perfect sense.

"It gives us options," said Hextall, now in his third year as the Flyers' general manager.

There is another (longshot) option: Re-signing the underappreciated Steve Mason - yes, it would be more costly than Neuvirth's deal - and making him the goalie who is protected.

Mason has had an uneven season, but if he warms up down the stretch and carries the Flyers into the playoffs - he had consecutive wins while stopping 72 of 73 shots in his last two appearances heading into Saturday night's game in Washington - he might suddenly reenter the team's plans.

Earlier this season, while Neuvirth was injured, Mason made 22 of 24 starts and keyed the team's 10-game winning streak.

But the Flyers never negotiated with his agent then or throughout the whole season. They seemed to be saying adios to Mason when a less-than-stellar Neuvirth made nine of 10 starts from Feb. 2 to 25.

"It [stinks]," Mason said the other day about not playing much last month. "You don't play hockey to back up for a goaltender."

So you can excuse Mason - who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1 - if he is playing with a proverbial chip on his shoulder.

Now he's playing for a contract, whether it's with the Flyers or someone else.

Mason, whose .918 save percentage with the Flyers is second in franchise history, said he did not hold a grudge for the way he has been used.

"When you are ticked off, you press too hard," he said. "I think you need more of a care-free attitude. That is when you're at your best."

Mason was not at ease as the trade deadline approached Wednesday afternoon. He said it was unsettling and couldn't wait to know "one way or the other" whether he was staying in Philadelphia (his first choice) or headed elsewhere.

When he didn't get dealt, he said he felt "like a weight had been lifted. I realize I'll be spending the rest of the season here, and that kind of distraction is gone."

It's ironic that the goalie who got the contract extension, Neuvirth, headed into Saturday as the No. 2 guy. And that the person who had become the go-to goaltender may be shown the door at the end of the season.

There always seems to be some drama surrounding the Flyers and their revolving goaltenders, whether it was high-priced Ilya Bryzgalov and his continuous soap opera; the ill-advised trade of a true franchise goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky; or their elevation of Mason to No. 1 after they gave the other goalie the contract extension.

Maybe Hart or Sandstrom - or Stolarz or Alex Lyon, for that matter - will finally give the Flyers a legitimate No. 1.

That seems imperative if this franchise is ever going to relive the glory days of the Bernie Parent era.

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull www.philly.com/flyersblog