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The summer is rapidly coming to an end for the Philadelphia Flyers and the ramping up to a new season is coming quickly. As expected, there are a number of burning questions that the team faces going into it. The team’s Stanley Cup playoff run enhanced expectations for the fan base. General manager Daniel Briere’s audacious Leo Carlsson offer sheet only heightened them for the future.
At the same time, beyond the Carlsson move, Briere did not make massive changes to his roster this summer. Can the team as currently constructed can make another run for the playoffs. Beyond the Carolina Hurricanes, there is a mushy middle group in the Metropolitan Division they’ll battle to make that run.
And the Flyers know that they won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season. With a relatively youthful lineup, they will need to carry the lessons they learned last season over.
With that in mind, let’s examine some of the key questions facing them heading into the 2026-27 regular season, starting with their goaltending tandem.
1. Can The Flyers Expect a Vladar Encore?
This time last year, the Flyers goaltending situation was a major question.
With Sam Ersson and newcomer Dan Vladar, the situation remained unsettled.
A couple months into the season, Vladar grabbed the number one job and didn’t let go.
By the end of it, he was the Flyers’ unquestioned MVP in leading the team to their playoff berth. In all, a remarkable season that earned him a five year contract with a $5.5 million AAV. His extension was proof of the trust the Flyers have in, as it included a full no-move clause for the first two years, and a limited no-trade clause for the final three.
The marriage between Vladar, his relationship with teammates, and the defensive system was better than anyone imagined. A defensive system and a goaltender’s performance is a symbiotic relationship.
If Vladar’s performance dipped, then the defensive structure wouldn’t amount to much. Beyond his raw numbers (2.42 goals against average and a .906 save percentage), what made Vladar special last season was his ability to make Grade A game altering saves. It gave the team an inordinate amount of confidence and a big reason why they were as competitive as they were in their first year under Rick Tocchet.
2. Are Heightened Expectations Realistic?
But now the upcoming season comes with the burden of expectations. And some questions as to whether Briere should’ve waited to see how he looked out of the gate before committing to the extension.
“We could have waited,” Briere said at the time of the signing. “But if he does it another year, now you’re looking at a crazy number that we’re probably not comfortable with.”
Vladar had the biggest workload of his career last season (52 starts) after never playing more than 30 games. In addition, he has had injury history in the past during his time in Calgary. So one of the most important things Briere needed to do was find a tandem partner who can lighten the load.
His solution was to swing a trade for Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll.
3. Is Woll More Reliable than Ersson?
On paper, Woll appears to be an upgrade to Ersson, who was dealt to Toronto as part of the return. During his time in Toronto, he has developed a reputation as a borderline starting NHL goalie. However, he always seemed to be battling for the job, as the Leafs would bring in outside help. Last season was no different when they signed Anthony Stolarz from Florida.
In short, he never seemed to completely gain the trust of the Leafs coaching staff. Some of that was due to injury, more on that below.
A former 2016 third round pick of the Leafs, the 28-year-old Woll joins the Flyers with plenty of NHL level experience, He owns a career record of 63-43-9, along with a 2.94 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 117 regular-season games.
Additionally, he has substantive postseason experience as he’s appeared in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games, with a 6-6 record, 2.73 goals-against average, and .906 save percentage.
From a salary cap perspective, Woll also comes with cost certainty over the next two seasons, with a $3.667 million AAV. Combined with Vladar’s current cap hit ($3.35 million this season and $5.5 million in 2027-28), it’s a very palatable situation.
Like Vladar, Woll’s a bigger goalie at six feet, three inches and 212 lbs. He’s adept at stopping high danger chances. He possesses good lateral movement from post to post, so he has some stylistic matches to Vladar. That goes a long way in creating some predicability for the Flyers defense.
4. Will Woll and Vladar Stay Healthy?
However, Woll comes with injury history. Meanwhile, so does Vladar. Woll suffered a severe high ankle sprain that caused him to miss 35 games in 2023–2024. He also had multiple lower-body injuries throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons. So while he has flashed the talent of a starting NHL goalie, he comes to Philadelphia with adjusted expectations.
Barring a severe injury to Vladar, Woll’s main task will be to handle a strong support role. The days of NHL number ones starting 70 or more games are long gone. With an 84 game NHL schedule, having a reliable partner for your designated starter is a must if you want to compete for a playoff berth.
If all things are equal, Woll is looking at a 30-35 game workload, not unlike Ersson. However, the Flyers are expecting better performances in those games from him compared to his predecessor.
5. How many games will Vladar play?
Vladar set a new career high with 52 games played in 2025-26. Will he match that in 2026-27? Can he top it? Keep in mind: The regular season schedule is now 84 games. Vladar, like Woll, has some injury history. Most notably, he underwent hip surgery a couple years ago. With a new contract extension in his back pocket, Vladar must keep up his play from last year.
For good reason, Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar has received the lion’s share of accolades for the team’s 98-point season and first-round playoff victory over the arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins. Vladar was a shoo-in for the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP. In the now-completed series against the Penguins, “Vladdy” posted a 1.61 goals against average and .937 save percentage. He authored a pair of shutouts including a 42-save masterpiece in the team’s clinching 1-0 overtime victory in Game Six.
Moreover, Vladar is immensely well-liked and respected by his teammates and coaches alike. He even emerged as a team leader; a relatively uncommon status for goaltenders.
“He’s such a special person,” forward Noah Cates said after Game Six. “I can’t say enough good things about him, his game, how he motivates us, how he gets us going, how he talks to us at intermission to just believe and play for each other.”
Off The Post Radio Metro Division Offseason Review Week
After a brief late summer hiatus, Off The Post Radio is back this week with a pair of Metropolitan Division pods.
Michael Augello, Russ Cohen, & I examined the New Jersey Devils trade for winger Luke Evangelista on Thursday’s show. We also discussed the offseason work of each Metro Division team. Check it out below.
On Sunday’s show, we’ll welcome Associated Press reporter Denis Gorman to give his thoughts on the Rangers, Devils, and Islanders’ chances after all three missed the playoffs last spring.
Join us at 9:30am EST!
Win This Autographed Travis Konecny Photo
Hockey Hot Stove will hold another fan giveaway drawing on September 10. The prize, courtesy of Carl’s Cards and Collectibles: an autographed Travis Konecny photo.
TK signed it for Carl’s during his rookie year. In the photo, he proudly holds up his first NHL goal puck. Legendary Flyers publicist Zack Hill took the photo on Oct. 25, 2016.
Dan Vladar did a recent in-store autograph signing appearance at Carl’s. Carl’s provided one free autograph ticket for HHS to give away. The winner was Kevin Burgess.
Up next: Tyson Foerster. The Flyers winger will come to Carl’s for an in-store signing event on November 2. Visit CarlsCards.com for more information.
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