Flyers free-agent target: G Jhonas Enroth

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Each day from now until July 1, the day free agency begins, Tom Dougherty and Tim Riday will profile some of the NHL's top impending free agents and project their likelihood of signing with the Flyers.

Jhonas Enroth, goalie
Age: Turns 27 this month
Height: 5-10
Weight: 166
Last team: Dallas Stars
2014-15 cap hit: $1.25 million

Scouting report
Enroth doesn't have the ideal frame for a goalie, but is remarkably quick and agile. Before 2014-15, he never appeared in more than 28 games in a season at the NHL level. He needs to build up better stamina if he wants to handle a bigger workload, but overall is a solid option for a backup goalie. He has good instincts, solid anticipation and outstanding reflexes. 

The Stockholm, Sweden native was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (46th overall) of the 2006 NHL draft. From 2008-2011, he played mostly with the Sabres' AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, but was recalled to the big club on several occasions.

Enroth, spending the majority of his career as a backup, signed a two-year extension with Buffalo on June 20, 2013 and was promoted to starting goaltender on Feb. 28, 2014 after Ryan Miller was traded to the St. Louis Blues.

In 37 games with the abysmal Sabres last season, Enroth posted a 13-21-2 record with a .903 save percentage and 3.27 goals-against average.

On Feb. 11, Enroth was traded to the Stars for Anders Lindback and a conditional third-round pick. He went 5-5-0 with a .906 save percentage and 2.38 GAA for Dallas.

Enroth has experience playing international hockey, as well. He's represented Sweden three times at the IIHF World Championships, recording an incredible 11-1-0 record with a .918 save percentage and 1.94 GAA. He also won a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, serving as a backup to Rangers star Henrik Lundqvist.

Dougherty's projection
With Ray Emery set to be an unrestricted free agent, general manager Ron Hextall will be in the market for a backup goaltender. Steve Mason is the guy, and as long as he stays healthy, he should get the call around 60 times next season. But the Flyers need to bring in a backup who can step in when Mason needs a night off. That guy also has to be someone they can rely on in case Mason goes down with an injury. Enroth is small, which would be a change of pace for Flyers goalies, but he's a quick netminder with sound technique. His price tag won't be an issue, though he could see a raise from his previous contract but one to price him out of the market for the Flyers. Enroth would be a quality choice to back up Mason.

Riday's projection
The product put on the ice in Buffalo last season was pathetic. The Sabres averaged 1.9 goals per game and finished dead last in penalty kill percentage (75.1) and power play effectiveness (13.4). That's what Enroth had to work with for the majority of 2014-15. And still, he managed to put up respectable numbers. Then, fortunately for Enroth, Buffalo dealt the netminder to Dallas a month before the trade deadline. As expected, Enroth posted better statistics with the Stars, a fringe playoff team in the Western Conference. It couldn't have been an easy year, mentally or physically, for Enroth, who has been a backup most of his NHL career, but he performed admirably. He may be in line for a bit of a pay raise, but he's a goalie Flyers GM Ron Hextall should absolutely consider targeting in free agency. He'll be 27 later this month and could easily play 20-25 games to take some of the workload off of starter Steve Mason. If Mason gets hurt, Enroth should be able to handle a starting role, too. He now has one year of experience as a No. 1 goalie under his belt and still has plenty of potential. Could be a steal for the right price.

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