Should the Flyers extend Dan Vladar — and what would it cost?

Prior to the year-end presser by Flyers general manager Danny Briere, Philadelphia goaltender Dan Vladar had his own time with the media . When asked if he thought ahead to his next contract, the sensational netminder jokingly replied. \"Yeah, and if you can ask the same question to Danny B, I\'m going to be watching, so we\'ll see what he says,\" Vladar said.

Days later, the topic of both Sam Ersson and Vladar and their seasons was brought up, and Briere was rather straightforward, perhaps a bit more regarding Vladar then some anticipated.

\"He didn’t slow down, he was just as good or better in the playoffs,\" Briere said at the time regarding his newfound number one goalie . \"So that’s exciting to see. It makes us believe that he could be the answer here for hopefully a few more years.”

It might have been a throwaway line. However, it opened up the speculation a bit more than maybe anyone expected. Vladar was without question the biggest bright spot on the Flyers in what was a season with a handful of them.

He played 85 more minutes in the 2025-26 regular season (2,995) than he did in the previous two seasons combined (2,910 in 2023-24 and 2024-25 with Calgary). He set career highs (or lows) in goals-against average (2.42), wins (29), and tying his previous high in save percentage (.906, a number he had back in 23 games with the Flames in 2021-22). In terms of quality starts, Vladar had 37 of them in 51 starts. So, 72.5 per cent of the time he gave his skaters a quality start. Just ridiculously refreshing and stellar numbers for a team that traditionally has had issues between the pipes. And a dramatic contrast from the 2024-25 season that saw Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov looking at times like they were afraid of pucks.

So, with Vladar under contract for another season, at what looks like now highway robbery by Briere regarding a cap hit ($3.35 million Average Annual Value), the chatter about a possible contract extension between Vladar and Philadelphia has already gotten a little bit louder than it did this time last month. Of course, nobody has a crystal ball to predict the future, and Vladar might have a bit of a disappointing second year in Philadelphia. But, is it worth Briere and the front office doing a thorough examination of the pros and cons of a possible extension? And if so, what should it look like? We\'ll take a look below.

Vladar\'s 2025-26 season: A one-off or the start of something good?

As shown above, Vladar didn\'t provide much ammunition for his detractors by season\'s end. The performances he put in the playoffs (minus one or two miscues against Pittsburgh) were ones that will be talked about for a while. None more than the 42-save effort in Game 6 against the Penguins, a dramatic 1-0 overtime win that eliminated Sidney Crosby and company before a boisterous crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena. That alone might be enough for some fans to give Vladar and his agent a blank check, seeing their despised longtime rivals golfing thanks to the Flyers. But it certainly poses a strong case for a Vladar extension to not be scoffed at. Maybe this is the beginning of a glorious new chapter for the goaltender who will head to training camp 29 years old.

However, the flip side is that if Briere and the Flyers pounce on a contract extension a bit sooner than anticipated, it could come back to haunt them somewhat. If you had a dime for any current or former NHL goaltender that made a career from a season (or a few months) where everything worked and they caught lightning in a bottle, you\'d corner the global dime market. That could be the case with Vladar. Maybe he had a fantastic season that was equal parts Vladar\'s skillset and head coach Rick Tocchet\'s rather airtight defensive schemes. All of the Flyers defensemen (outside of Rasmus Ristolainen) were generally healthy all season. That\'s a luxury some goaltenders can\'t lay claim to some of the time. As well, Vladar has never been considered a starter before. What\'s to say last season was the exception for his career and not the rule moving forward?

Another issue that might be at the forefront would be Vladar\'s health. He played a healthy share of the regular season, and was the lone keeper for the Flyers for 10 playoff games. However, he was injured for two weeks in January during a game against Buffalo, and the Flyers felt his absence. More recently, Vladar hurt his right arm (his blocker glove side) in Game 3 when Penguins forward Bryan Rust inadvertently landed on the goaltender\'s arm, causing it to seemingly hyperextend. He remained in the game and the rest of the playoffs, but after the season revealed the ailment would keep him out of the World Hockey Championships.

Generally, Vladar had no recurring or nagging injuries. He obviously kept his chin up during the playoffs and played despite not being 100 per cent. He\'s also not that old, and seems to be getting towards his prime as a National Hockey League goaltender. So what better time than now to keep a goaltender who delivered in spades for a team that had a laughable power play and struggled to generate offense. It makes the logic to extend him reasonable at worst. Assuming the Flyers and Vladar agree they would like to keep this union going, the tipping point might be how negotiations play out.

What a Vladar contract extension could look like

Ideally, should Philadelphia and Vladar come to terms on an extension this summer, Philadelphia would be wise to avoid a long-term contract. The last Philadelphia goaltender signed for an extended period of time is no longer on the official books but is still receiving a payment from the Flyers, at least for one more season. And the goalie the Flyers essentially blocked at the time from developing left town, and won a pair of Stanley Cups with Florida in recent years.

Briere does not need a similar disaster, even with a rising salary cap. A long contract would obviously soften the annual cap hit, particularly with that raised ceiling for the next few years. Yet it\'s too much of a risk to take, especially when the Flyers remain quite high on Russian prospect Egor Zavragin, and Carson Bjarnason.

Anything between five to six years would also seem like an extremely dicey proposition. Recent contracts around the league saw Minnesota\'s Filip Gustavsson (5 years, $34 million, $6.8 million AAV) and Calgary\'s Dustin Wolf (7 years, $52.5 million, $7.5 million AAV) being a tier under the likes of New York\'s Igor Shesterkin and Winnipeg\'s Connor Hellebuyck. Both Gustavsson and Wolf are younger than Vladar, so their deals seem a bit safer than five to seven years for a 29-year-old goaltender.

Perhaps Briere could sweeten the deal for Vladar by marginally increasing Vladar\'s AAV over a three-year deal, somewhere in the $6.5 million to $7 million range in terms of AAV with a full no movement or no trade clause for the first two years. The contract wouldn\'t block the likes of Bjarnason, Zavragin, or -- dare I say it -- Aleksei Kolosov, from landing the starter\'s job should they simply outplay Vladar and deserve the number one spot. Nor, with the cap rising substantially, would the contract be a huge anchor down the road. It would also seem to be a hefty raise over the initial two-year offer Vladara readily agreed to last July. And it would put Vladar at age 33 when the three-year deal concluded, not quite over the hill for goaltenders and most likely able to latch on with another team, possibly for the same or even more money.

Of course, Briere\'s biggest concern this summer isn\'t locking up Vladar, especially with contracts to Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale looming and the need to beef up the center depth position, possibly via trade. However, keeping Vladar around a little while longer shouldn\'t be completely off the table. Vladar had a sensational season, and he was terrific in the locker room and on the ice. He was anything but high maintenance, and was often a cheerleader to his teammates during television stoppages.

Probably the biggest compliment you can pay the general manager is that nobody is criticizing Briere for having Vladar for another season. The general manager fell in love with the season Vladar had and the goaltender himself. It\'s crucial that same love doesn\'t cloud or influence his decision-making should Vladar and his agent want to discuss extending their stay in Philadelphia. There\'s no question Briere would love to keep him. It just has to make sense.

Talking Points