The Philadelphia Flyers are one of five NHL teams courting Modo Hockey goaltender Bernhard Starkbaum,
according to German-language hockey site Hockey-news.info. Starkbaum's agent, former Austrian national team player Patrick Pilloni, reports that he has recently been in contact with the Buffalo Sabres, Flyers, Nashville Predators, Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers.
Starkbaum, 27, has an NHL and KHL out-clause in his contract with Elitserien club Modo. He has until June 15 to make a decision. According to what Pilloni told the Austrian press, any NHL contract his client signs is likely to be a two-way deal. However, with the success that late-blooming Viktor Fasth had in Anaheim this season, NHL teams are more receptive right now to older European goalies potentially finding a spot at the top level after spending a short adjustment period in the American Hockey League.
Starkbaum is coming off an outstanding regular season in Sweden. He posted a 2.06 GAA, .933 save percentage and 8 shutouts in 46 games. He struggled in the postseason, however, as Modo got ousted in five first-round games by Färjestad.
At the 2013 World Championships, Starkbaum was the starting goalie for Team Austria. While his stats look ugly (3.74 GAA and .890 save percentage), he actually played very well in the games where his overmatched team actually had a chance to stay competitive. Starkbaum's inflated numbers came mostly due to Russia strafing the Austrian team for eight goals and Finland posting seven goals. Austria finished last in its bracket and was relegated to Division I for next season.
The 6-foot-1, 196 pound Starkbaum was a star goalie in the Austrian-based EBEL for Villacher SV before going to Sweden to play against a higher grade of competition. He has one season remaining on his contract with Modo if he does not sign with an NHL or KHL team.
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