Flyers must find the remedy for goaltender strategy fingers crossed

Should not be a goaltender controversy for the Philadelphia Flyers in game 7 Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. Solid relief effort from Brian Boucher in game 6 should render him the start. By Kevin Hoffman, US Presswire

Brian Boucher deserves to start game 7 Tuesday night, but the leaflets probably will need to pursue a goalie No. 1 this summer.

By Kevin Hoffman, US Presswire

Brian Boucher deserves to start game 7 Tuesday night, but the leaflets probably will need to pursue a goalie No. 1 this summer.

But no matter what happens with the fliers from the rest of the way, if you can guess that Ed Snider Spectacor President will be wondering why his talented team is again in the playoffs with questions about his goalkeeper.How long the handouts were goalkeeper on the carousel? He is pushing 15 years since respected Ron Hextall was Philadelphia's primary goalkeeper. Since then, the flyers have tried John Vanbiesbrouck, Roman Cechmanek Robert Esche, Antero Niittymaki, Martin Biron, Boucher, Michael Leighton and Sergei Bobrovsky. Each had a moment or two, but none has inspired confidence over a long period.It seemed as if the flyers can make a move in the summer, but they don't have much cap space to make a big splash. Presumably GM Paul Holmgren considered their options on the trade deadline and decided, given the situation of the CAP, there was the right fit.This summer, the flyers still doesn't have much budget flexibility, but it seems as if they would stabilize in your goal. They cannot enter into another season with a strategy of fingers crossed. Perhaps they keep Boucher as the backup because it seems to be strong coming off the bench, and he has always been a loyal soldier. Perhaps they keep Bobrovsky as backup, giving you more time to learn, without the pressure of being no. 1. But they have to do something this summer, don't they?The free-agent market will have veteran Tomas Vokoun and Ilya Bryzgalov, 42-year-old Dwayne Roloson. Another intriguing possibility is Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who won a Stanley Cup. Depending on what happens with Evgeni Nabokov, he also seems to be a possibility.However, I hope that the flyers Boucher will be a hot goalie for five or six weeks. This is what the strategy of fingers crossed is all.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ. To report corrections and clarifications, contact standards Editor Brent Jones. For consideration of publication in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and State for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections usatoday.com. We've updated the guidelines of the conversation. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation of how to use the "report abuse" button. Read more.