It’s about that time, with training camps getting underway and even trades being made, the Philadelphia Flyers are back in season, and game one of the exhibition season is now in the books. Which brings us to the goaltenders. Oh boy….
But take heart Flyers fans, it can’t possibly be worse than last year, right? I mean, Sam Ersson and Dan Vladar will be the tandem that take the Flyers a bit further this season. At least that’s the plan.
Sam Ersson
What did we see from Ersson last season?
Sam Ersson entered the 2024-25 season as the de facto starter after a hellish conclusion to the 2023-24 season. That year Ersson was essentially run into the ground as the Flyers were out of other legitimate options down the stretch. So, last year, the Flyers believed they had given Ersson a bit of help with the addition of Aleksei Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov. Fedotov and Kolosov didn’t deliver. Long story short, they were horrible. And Ersson, lacking that support or tandem partner, wasn’t much better.
Ersson appeared in 47 games, going 22-17-5 in those games and ending up with a save percentage of .883. And a goals-against average of 3.14 With such a stat it’s conceivable Ersson would’ve had problems stopping a pie if thrown at him in 2024-25. The goaltender lost four of his first five starts. Just when he looked like he had turned a corner of some sorts (winning three games in a row to end October) Ersson left the Nov. 2 game against Boston early, missing a week of action. He returned for two more games but was out of the lineup for roughly a month due to a groin injury.
The second half of the season saw Ersson put up his two best months, sporting a .901 save percentage in January and a respectable .908 in February (including three straight wins after his appearance for Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off). Unfortunately, mirroring the rest of the club (except for maybe Matvei Michkov), Ersson fell off a cliff in March, with a hideous .833 save percentage in March over nine games. His last two games of the year were meaningless, but one of them saw him make 37 saves in a 4-3 shootout win over the Islanders.
Overall, Ersson had a year he, the fans and Flyers general manager Danny Briere would like to forget. The run-of-the-mill numbers were bad. The analytics were far uglier, resulting in the 2024-25 season being the worst ever for Flyers goaltenders.
What type of role do we expect Ersson to play this season?
Perhaps the biggest asset Ersson has going for him into this season is there is a little more clarity heading into this season versus last year. The goaltending carousel of Ersson, Fedotov, and Kolosov was trying at times. Ersson really never knew who his backup was from game to game as Kolosov essentially primarily stayed in Philadelphia with little time in Lehigh Valley. With Fedotov out of the picture and now in Columbus, and the addition of Dan Vladar in free agency, Ersson knows he is going to be the starter this year. More importantly, he should feel he has some clarity as far as knowing Vladar is going to be his partner (barring injuries) from October through April (and maybe beyond).
Being a starting goaltender in Philadelphia comes with pressure. But regarding his career with the Flyers, he probably enters this season with more tangible support than at any time in his career as the starter. Having a veteran backup in Vladar should provide huge dividends, having a competent, reliable goaltender who should push Ersson to be at his best. As well, adding the likes of Trevor Zegras should help keep the puck more up ice and not in the Flyers zone. Throw in bigger defensemen such as Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert that Briere signed in the summer and there should be more indirect assistance in making Ersson feel more comfortable and play better.
Ersson knows his role going into the season and knows he will be called upon to hold up his end of the bargain. Particularly when he’s going into this coming summer looking for a new contract as a Restricted Free Agent. It’s a make-or-break year for Ersson. All of the ducks are in a row for Ersson to simply be competent. A .900 save percentage shouldn’t be a lot to ask for from an NHL goaltender. If Ersson can deliver that, then this season should be considered a personal success. Anything north of .905 or .910 and it’s gravy! Another horrible season and it’s probably clear that the Flyers start looking towards Carson Bjarnason or Yegor Zavragin as the next goaltender to pick up the mantle for the foreseeable future.
Dan Vladar
What did we see from Vladar last season?
It’s difficult to determine what Dan Vladar was able to do as he wasn’t in a Flyers uniform. Vladar, who just turned 28 years young in August, played 30 games for Calgary last year in what was his fourth season for the Flames. His numbers wouldn’t turn heads, but given how low Fedotov and Kolosov set the bar last year, Vladar’s performance this season should be an improvement if he has numbers similar to last year. Vladar was a hair over .500 (12-11-6) with a 2.80 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. He also played the most amount of minutes in his career (1781) and posted two shutouts.
Calgary’s goaltending was led by Dustin Wolf who had a sensational rookie year. And the Flames used him often. The result was Vladar averaging about six starts a month for the first three months before but suffered a lower body injury in December that made him day-to-day. But from the turn of the new year onwards, Vladar was used almost as an afterthought. He played just three games in January, including a stinker against Winnipeg on Jan. 26 where he gave up five goals on 27 shots. In February he had two more starts, bookending the 4 Nations Face-Off and winning both games (with a .948 save percentage).
March was Vladar’s best month, going 3-1-1 in five games with a strong .910 save percentage in that month. But by then Calgary’s hope for the playoffs on the shoulders of Wolf were gone. Vladar’s final game with the Flames was a 5-1 win on April 17 against the Kings. So overall, Vladar’s numbers were fine for a backup goaltender. Probably it was a personal victory of sorts for Vladar as he elected to undergo hip surgery to cut short his 2023-24 season. Playing most of the season injury free was a feather in his cap, particularly knowing he was seeking a new contract in the summer.
What type of role do we expect Vladar to play this season?
In his July 11 video call with Flyers media following the signing, Vladar said he hadn’t yet spoken with Ersson but was focused on one simple thing. “To be honest, I didn’t want to hear anything,” he said. “I just want to show up as ready as I can and play my best hockey. I think the way it should be is whoever is going to play the best should be playing. Obviously I’m going there to play as many games as I can. But I’m there for team success. So whoever it’s going to be, whoever is hot at that time should be playing. I’ll do my best to play my best hockey and to help us win.”
Knowing he’s a year removed from the surgery, Vladar should be coming into this Flyers camp ready to turn a few heads and make the case he could usurp Ersson as the starter. It’s probably the best situation to be in for Vladar. Calgary just inked Wolf to a seven-year $52.5 million deal earlier in September ($7.5 million AAV). So he was not going to be anything more than a backup there. With the Flyers a very strong start and impressive numbers could make him more of a 1B (or even 1A) goaltender in tandem with Ersson. There’s nobody currently in the Flyers goal that will be inked to such a long-term deal.
It’s probably a stretch to think the Flyers have solved their goaltending issues by adding Vladar. But he’s coming into a situation where he has a very good chance to give Ersson a run for his money. A lot of that will depend on his usage. And given the concentrated schedule this year with back-to-backs and three-in-fours, it’s almost inconceivable Vladar isn’t going to be making a minimum of 30 starts, matching his career high of last year. In short, he’s been given a chance with the Flyers. It’s up to him to make the most of it.
