There’s an old saying when it comes to getting employment: it’s not always what you know, it’s who you know. For newly signed Philadelphia Flyers goalie Dan Vladar, when it came to free agency on July 1, there were different factors to consider when looking at potential teams.
Like any player going on the market for the first time, he was nervous.
So the 27-year-old Czech decided to call on some of his countrymen who had played for the Flyers to gain insight on the team.
“When I heard that Philadelphia was one of the teams interested, I called some of my Czech buddies like Jake Voracek,” Vladar said during a Zoom press conference with Philadelphia reporters.
“When (Voracek) was still playing, I used to work out with him. We had a pretty close relationship. He was literally the first guy I talked to about Philly. He obviously told me all the best things about the city.”
Vladar comes to the Flyers after spending the last four season with the Calgary Flames. He had a career-high 30 appearances (29 starts) last season, with a 12-11-6 record, a 2.80 goals against average, to go with an .898 save percentage.
His best NHL season was in 2021-22, when he went 13-6-2 with a 2.75 goals against average, .906 save percentage and two shutouts.
“When I found out (the Flyers) had interest, I really wanted to come. I am happy about it and can’t wait to come there.”
Vladar to compete for Flyers starting (or 1B) role
Like any goaltender, Vladar wants to start, but the Flyers view that position as an open competition.
Incumbent Samuel Ersson will be his likely partner in net. Regardless of the role, Vladar expects to work well with him.
“Goalies can always be pushing each other and learning from each other,” Vladar said. “I can’t wait to be working with Sam. If I see something, I want to be able to step up and help him. The only thing I want from him is the same.”
“It’s how I think it should be working. I’ve had the privilege of working with alot of partners, starting with Jaroslav Halak and Tuukka Rask (in Boston). That continued with Wolf and Jacob (Markstrom) in Calgary.”
The Flyers goaltending last season was among the league’s worst, something general manager Danny Briere was keen to address.
Now the team has another candidate to audition for the number one job.
“He has a chance to be our number one, depending on how he plays and other guys play,” Briere said during his free agency press conference on July 1.
“One thing I said to our goalies at the end of the year: you have to be ready for training camp. I said ‘this wasn’t good enough last season, we’re probably going to go out and get reinforcements and you’re going to be in a battle.’ So it was really clear right from the get-go.”
Vladar plans to be ready for that battle.
“To be honest, I just want to show as ready as I can and play my best hockey,” Vladar said. “I want to be a part of the team’s success, but whoever is playing hotter should be the one playing.”
Last season, Vladar split time in net with eventual Calder Trophy finalist Dustin Wolf, before Wolf took the starting job in the second half.
However, he played well down the stretch in helping the Flames’ push for a playoff berth.
“Coming off of surgery, I felt better as the season went on and was a huge part of why I was playing better hockey. It was a learning experience too, because it helped me to play my best hockey (of my career) and that’s what I want to do here from day one.”
Opportunity knocks for Vladar but the clock is ticking
The Flyers present Vladar with arguably the biggest opportunity of his career to prove he is an NHL starting goaltender.
While Ersson has shown himself a capable NHL net minder for stretches, he hasn’t been able to elevate his play to the point where he can be considered a bellwether starting netminder.
At the same time, Vladar does face a bit of a ticking clock in Philadelphia as 2023 second round pick Carson Bjarnason is joining the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season.
In addition, there’s highly touted 2023 third round pick Yegor Zavragin playing for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.
Prior to the NHL, Vladar appeared primed for NHL stardom, with strong numbers in the AHL playing for the Providence Bruins (a 36-26-13 record with a 2.33 GAA and .917 save pct).
In Calgary, he served as the back-up to goaltender Jacob Markstrom for three seasons before Markstrom was traded to the New Jersey Devils.
Vladar had the opportunity to grab hold of the starters net in 2024-25 with Dustin Wolf as his main competition, but was unable to hold off the Calder Trophy Finalist.
With Wolf firmly entrenched in Calgary, Vladar has another chance to prove he can handle a starter’s workload with the Flyers.
Off the Post Radio
Sunday’s Off The Post Radio featured NHL Insider Chris Johnston as our special guest!
We discussed where the free agency market stands, the new CBA between the NHL and NHLPA, and much more!
After Sunday’s show, Michael Augello, Russ Cohen, and I will be taking a break next week.
We will return on Wednesday July 23 at 4:30pm ET.
