It had been speculated for some time, but the Philadelphia Flyers made it official today: goaltender Dan Vladar is going to be here for a while. The Flyers confirmed a five-year, $27.5 million extension for the Czech netminder on Wednesday. The news comes on first day they could confirm that Vladar will be paid $5.5 million AAV (average annual value) once the last year of his current two-year $6.7 million deal ($3.35 million) concludes at the end of this season. According to reports, the five-year deal has a full no movement clause in the first two years of the deal, and a limited or modified no movement clause in the final three years.
OFFICIAL: We have signed goaltender Dan Vladar to a five-year contract extension worth an annual average value (AAV) of $5.5 million. https://t.co/LPaycBPcvW
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) July 1, 2026
The Flyers teased that something was coming about a 25 minutes before free agent frenzy began at noon Eastern, posting a 17-second tweet that had no image but the sound of Darth Vader breathing.
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) July 1, 2026
And before the noon deadline arrived, Vladar’s agent posted news of the signing online.
Dan Vladar. 5 years. Philadelphia Flyers.
— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) July 1, 2026
He’s staying. Dan Vladar agreed to terms with the Flyers on a 5-year ($5.5mm AAV) extension. Philly’s net is in good hands. #LetsGoFlyers #WeAreGoldStar! pic.twitter.com/LrwfPcmqL8
The contract was initially thought to be in the $6 million AAV range. However, considering the term of the deal, and that neither Vladar nor the Flyers were going to risk that number either lower or rise, it seems like a very reasonable contract. The deal also gives the Flyers some flexibility after two seasons, allowing Vladar and the team to part ways should the goaltender’s play deteriorate or another goal begins to emerge as the proverbial starter.
Vladar led the Flyers to their first playoff spot since the pandemic-shortened season, and was instrumental in the team’s resurgence after the Olympic break and into the playoffs. Vladar went 29-14-7 in the regular season with a 2.42 goals-against average and a strong .906 save percentage. In the playoffs he was just as solid for the most part, registering a 2.18 goals-against average in 10 games and a .922 save percentage. He also post two shutouts in the first round, including the fantastic 42-save effort in the series-clinching overtime thriller against Pittsburgh in Game 6. But beyond his numbers and rather remarkable consistency from October through May, Vladar provided encouragement to his teammates when things got rough. In short, if the Flyers didn’t have Dan Vladar last season, they would not have made the playoffs, not to mention the torrid stretch run they delivered when it mattered most.
A third-round pick of the Bruins in the 2015 draft, Vladar played just five games for Boston in 2020-21 before he was traded in the summer of 2021 to Calgary for a third-round pick. Over his four seasons with the Flames, Vladar averaged 25 games per season, clearly being the backup goaltender for the club over that time. His 52 games last year were two more games then he played in 2023-24 and 2024-25 combined.
How the deal fits into the Flyers cap
The contract will begin in the 2027-28 season and run through the end of the 2031-32 season. The cap hit is quite reasonable, with Vladar being just inside the top 20 overall in the National Hockey League in terms of AAV. Some might argue the deal is risky, especially considering Vladar never played a full season before as the number one starter prior to last year. And that he will be 30 when the deal kicks in next year. However, it seems to be a reasonable deal in terms of both the term and the value. With a rising salary cap the next few seasons, Vladar’s deal by its conclusion will be well under 10 per cent of the team’s cap ceiling, and possibly closer to four to six per cent of the total the longer it goes.
As well, given the rather unbalanced nature the Flyers have endured between the pipes the last few seasons, solidifying or securing a goalie who can stop the puck on average nine times out of ten seems like a positive. Vladar and Joseph Woll will, barring any unforeseen injuries, will be the starter and backup, respectively, for the Flyers in 2026-27. Given that Sam Ersson no longer could be relied on as a quality goaltender for Philadelphia, and both Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin still not quite ready to make the jump to the National Hockey League, this looks to be the best case scenario for this season at the very least.
So in short, Dan Vladar will be a Flyer for at least the next three seasons. And if he plays anywhere close to his initial season in Philadelphia, much longer than that.
Stats courtesy of HockeyDB.com and Capwages.com.
