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With the Carolina Hurricanes officially closing out the Stanley Cup Final in emphatic fashion in Las Vegas, the NHL offseason has officially arrived. And for the Philadelphia Flyers, their work is about to begin.
Prior to Game Six, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that the Flyers and starting goalie Dan Vladar were closing in on a five year contract extension, expected to land in the mid $5.5 million AAV range. The contract extension can not be announced until July 1, as Vladar still has another year on his current deal.
The Athetic’s Pierre Lebrun confirmed Weeke’s report, but added the contract could be as many as six years as “work still needed to be done on the extension.”
Vladar’s Extension A Top Priority
Accordingly, there’s been plenty of buzz regarding the Flyers and Vladar’s desire to ensure his long term future in Philadelphia. It’s not easy to get your hands on a number one goalie. At the time of his signing last July, the Prague native was looking for an NHL team to give him a chance to prove himself as one. Considering the flaming wreckage that was the Flyers 2024-25 goaltending, general manager Daniel Briere secured him with a two year contract.
And to the Flyers benefit, Vladar proved that he was ready to take on that role and run with it. He set career highs in wins (29), goals against average, (2.42) and minutes played (2995:13).
Additionally, Vladar’s exemplary regular season earned him the Bobby Clarke Award as the team’s most valuable player.He also earned him a pair of Hart Trophy votes for the league’s most valuable player.
Most importantly, Vladar led the team to their first playoff berth since the 2020 season. His first round performance sparked the the Flyers series win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the clinching game of the series, he made 42 saves in a 1-0 overtime shutout.
While his second round saw a bit more variance against the eventual champion Hurricanes, he was able push the opposition to two overtime games.
So it’s pretty easy to point to the reasons why Vladar has earned his team’s trust and why both sides would be moving towards a long term committment.
Causes For Concern, Too
Certainly, the idea of making sure Vladar is secure is an important one for a team that has struggled to find a reliable netminder in recent memory. So much of what spurred the Flyers playoff run can be attributed to his calm confidence. At the same time, it’s fair to be concerned about a lengthy extension following only one season, too.
Vladar’s 2025-26 season was a substantial step up, but how much of it can be attributed to the Flyers’ “Box-Plus-One” defensive systems under head coach Rick Tocchet? It minimizes the frequency the goaltender has to go post-to-post for a save and focusing on playing “half of the net.”
That stated, 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.
Vladar had past injury concerns as well. In March 2024, he missed the final 14 games of the regular season, causing him to have season ending hip surgery. This past season, he missed eight games total. Six of those came in January, which coincided with the worst stretch of the Flyers season.
However, I would attribute the biggest concern to a potential “wear and tear “effect, at least for this upcoming season. Vladar nearly doubled his previous workload, even with the Flyers making sure to spot start back-up Samuel Ersson to account for it. It will be incumbent on him and the Flyers to monitor how he responds this season. But it will also be important to bring aboard a goalie who can maintain competence behind Vladar, which was a problem for the majority of the season.
In The End, Extension Is Likely Worth It
The real reason for a longer term extension is to spread out Vladar’s cap hit over the term of the contract. It takes him through the prime of his career and ensures that the Flyers have as much roster flexibility as possible. There’s certainly a reason for Briere to opt to wait until during the season to discuss an extension.
However, if Vladar does keep his pace from last season, the door opens for him to go to market next offseason. Beyond Vladar, the Flyers goaltending situation is unsettled. Can they rely on Sam Ersson to pick up his post-Olympic performance or do they look elsewhere? Aleksei Kolosov is signed for one more season and Carson Bjarnason is entering his second year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Overseas, top KHL prospect Yegor Zavragin is likely at least two seasons away.
Perhaps most importantly, if the Flyers have plans for making important acquisitions this offseason or going forward, having cost certainty with Vladar makes lot of sense. In a rising cap world, it’s entirely possible that Vladar’s contract is a smart bet, even considering it’s length.
In the meantime, we’ll have to wait until July 1 to find out all the details. But it sure looks like a certainty that Dan Vladar will be the face of Flyers goaltending for years to come.
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