Brian Elliott will make important season debut Tuesday for Philadelphia Flyers

Brian Elliott will see his first action of the 2019-20 season on Tuesday night in Calgary for the Flyers.

The backup goaltender on a hockey club is, like the backup quarterback on a football team, thoroughly unimportant for long stretches of time. But in an instant, he can become the most vital player on the ice, as he still needs to play on occasion even if the starter stays healthy.

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Flyers will turn to veteran Brian Elliott, the man they chose as the backup to Carter Hart for this season when taking on the Calgary Flames.

And while his performance in this single game won’t immediately affirm or invalidate the team’s decision to re-sign him, a strong effort would do wonders to calm the nerves of everyone surrounding the team.

Elliott’s days in orange and black sure look numbered last season with Hart enjoying success as a rookie and the Flyers making a trade for Cam Talbot, who everyone assumed would split time with Hart while mentoring him at the same time.

After all, the two had a previously existing relationship. It all made too much sense.

But Hart suffered an injury and Talbot experienced visa issues, opening the door for Elliott, who played his best hockey of the season to help keep the Flyers on the fringe of the playoff race in late February and early March last season.

The magic would eventually end, but Talbot did not look good in the few looks that the Flyers actually gave him in the season’s final weeks, leaving the team with a decision to make over the summer.

Both Talbot and Elliott were on expiring contracts, and the Flyers would presumably offer a deal to one or the other to return as Hart’s presumptive backup for the 2019-20 season. Looking at the goaltender wasteland in free agency, it was really their only option.

In the end, they chose Elliott, signing him to a one-year, $2 million contract on June 26. Keep in mind that Elliott’s last appearance in a game that mattered had come in a loss to the St. Louis Blues on April 4 when he allowed four goals on five shots.

But the Flyers still saw something in him, and now we all wait to see if they made the right call.

Talbot, for his part, was signed by the same Calgary Flames that Elliott is set to face on Tuesday, though he is not expected to start.

The fact of the matter is, the Flyers aren’t going anywhere this season if Hart either plays poorly or gets hurt for an extended period of time.

But, even if he avoids both of these pitfalls, Elliott will need to play at least 30 games. This is assuming that he also can stay healthy, which is no easy feat for him.

If the Flyers are forced to employ a goalie carousel again this season, it’s going to be another long year for Flyers Nation. Elliott has to stay in the lineup, and he has to give the Flyers a good chance to win on the nights that he starts in place of Hart.

If things go well for Elliott during his campaign, he will get no credit for just doing what he was supposed to do. But a lousy save percentage or repeated trips to the sick bay this season will derail things for the Flyers.

Too often last year, the Flyers had virtually no shot to win on a number of occasions because of their goaltending situation. Elliott needs to keep history from repeating itself this season, and his efforts kick off Tuesday night.

Flyers fans everywhere are crossing their fingers that Elliott still has enough left in him to give the team the boost it so desperately needs this season, so here’s to hoping all turns out well for the veteran when facing the Flames.