Flyers free-agent target: G Thomas Greiss

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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.

Thomas Greiss, goalie
Age: 29
Height: 6-1
Weight: 220
Last team: Pittsburgh Penguins
2014-15 cap hit: $1 million

Scouting report
Catching left-handed, Greiss has good size and decent technique. He's shown a tendency to give up a soft goal here and there and at inopportune times, but he's posted adequate numbers for an NHL backup.

Greiss was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the third round of the 2004 NHL draft, and didn't come over to North America until the 2006-07 season. He spent a few extra years honing his game before making the jump overseas. He played in 141 games in the AHL before making the jump to the NHL. He did, however, appear in three games with San Jose in 2007-08. In 2009-10, Greiss played in 19 games with the Sharks, posting a 7-4-1 record, a 2.69 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.

The 6-foot-1 goalie appeared in 44 games with San Jose before moving onto his next venture, the Arizona Coyotes. In his one season in Arizona, Greiss set career bests in games played (25), GAA (2.29) and save percentage (.920). Last season, he joined Pittsburgh to back up Marc-Andre Fleury and posted pedestrian numbers — 2.59 GAA and .908 save percentage.

Dougherty's projection
Greiss is a capable backup goalie and he'll come at an affordable price. He wouldn't be my first choice — Jhonas Enroth would be — but he wouldn't be a terrible fit here. What makes him attractive is his price tag. The Flyers' cap situation is a nightmare, so GM Ron Hextall isn't going to pay the premium price for a backup goalie, whatever that may be.

The Flyers wouldn't be asking him to play more than 25 games, so I'm not concerned about Greiss' workload. If Mason gets injured, I still wouldn't panic. He's a serviceable backup, and I feel he'd give the Flyers more than what they got last season from the position. Considering all factors, Greiss would be a solid fallback plan if Enroth costs too much.

Riday's projection
The Flyers have been smart with their backup goalie situation over the past two years. They paid Ray Emery, an established veteran who filled his role admirably behind Steve Mason, $1.65 million in 2013-14 and $1 million this past season. Flyers GM Ron Hextall hinted that the team may be ready to move on from Emery, however, and will likely search for a younger, cheaper option via free agency.

While Greiss may seem attractive — he's just 29 years old and is coming off a one-year, $1 million contract — I'd be cautious if I were Hextall. I'm all for saving a buck, especially when it comes to backup goalie, but Greiss seems like a risky signing.

The German netminder has yet to prove he can handle a heavy workload and has a knack for giving up backbreaking goals late in games. If Mason goes down for an extended period of time with an injury, I'd be concerned with handing the reigns over to Greiss, who has appeared in just 89 NHL games between the Sharks, Coyotes and Penguins.

His career numbers are what you would expect from a backup — 36-30-11 record, 2.47 goals-against average, .913 save percentage — but it's a very small sample size.

I wouldn't hate if the Flyers added Greiss this summer, I just think the team has better options. Who knows? Maybe Hextall plucks another goalie from overseas to fill the void. Can't rule that out.

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