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If it turns out Antero Niittymäki needs hip surgery and is out 4 to 6 weeks, file away the name Jere Myllyniemi as an intriguing darkhorse backup if the Flyers don't make a move for an NHL veteran to play behind Robert Esche.
While Esche will get the vast majority of the playing time, he can't be the lone starter for that long. Ken Hitchcock was in no mood to discuss a goaltending rotation or roster possibilities after the game, but he did concede he'd at least need to start whoever is the backup on one end of back-to-back games. One would think they'd get a hold-the-fort veteran along the lines of one-time Flyers draftee Johan Hedberg rather than trusting someone with no NHL experience.
But you never know.
The 23-year-old Myllyniemi has shown outstanding athleticism in his preseason tryout in the Philadelphia organization. It will be interesting to see if he gets any preseason minutes with the big club. To date, he's only played in Phantoms games after standing out at the Flyers' rookie camp.
The Tampere, Finland product got his first real chance to play in the SM-Liiga for the Espoo Blues and played well. Last season, he toiled in obscurity for Kenny Jönsson's Rögle BK �"ngelholm club in Allvenskan (the highest minor league) in Sweden, but played quite well and easily could have played for an Elitserien club.
Philadelphia scout Ilkka Sinisalo used to be Espoo's GM and Philly had enough scouting intelligence the goalie-- who has very quick feet and a good glove-- to invite him to camp.
Even before Antero Niittymäki tore his hip, it seemed likely the Flyers would sign Myllyniemi to a minor league deal and find a place for him to play; even if that meant loaning him to another minor league team. With the regular season underway already in Europe, the minor leagues here were Myllyniemi's only real option by this point.
Barring a goaltending trade by the Flyers, Myllyniemi could even be a candidate to back up Robert Esche. While he lacks North American hockey experience, he's been a pro for four seasons. Conversely, Martin Houle is a second-year pro, as is Rejean Beauchemin (who retains AHL rookie status).
Obviously, having any of those guys back up Esche is far from an ideal situation. In Myllyniemi's case, it would be tough to bypass the AHL in his adjustment to the North American game. Hard to fathom a goalie going from Allsvenkan straight to the NHL, but there is some talent to work with here.
Coincidentally, many years ago, Notre Dame grad Dave Poulin played for Rögle in Sweden for a season before earning a spot in Philadelphia with very little AHL time. But Poulin was a forward and grew up playing on the smaller rinks. Different position, different era, different circumstance. You can't compare the two situations, other than the Rögle connection.
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Special thanks to Brian Propp for graciously mentioning the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Website (http://www.pellelindbergh.se) on the Flyers' radio broadcast tonight.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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