The Philadelphia Flyers have announced they have signed goaltender Daniel Vladar to a two-year contract worth $3.35 million. Vladar joins his third NHL team following four with the Calgary Flames.
Vladar Signs With the Flyers
Last season with the Flames, Vladar posted a 12-11-16 record with a .898 save percentage and a 2.80 goals against average. Vladar’s season was a big improvement over his 2023-24 season, including an additional 10 games played.
Vladar’s final game with the Flames was one of his best, stopping 30 of 31 shots in the team’s last game of the season.
Vladar’s Role With His New Team
Vladar will likely serve as the backup for the Flyers. In his five-year career, Vladar has never played in more than 27 games in a season. Furthermore, he has started in no more than 23 games. At most, Vladar has played in 32% of his team’s games, indicating his not looked at someone who can be a starter.
That is not to say say he never will be a starter. At 27 years, there is still time for Vladar. In addition, all it takes is once event to get someone promoted to the starting job. Until then, however, Vladar is a reliable backup option for the Flyers.
Vladar Stood Out in Poor Market
The goaltending market this summer was not a strong one. If a team was seeking a goaltender to move the needle towards contending for the Stanley, this was not the market for that.
However, Vladar does stand out as a reliable backup option. His numbers are not flashy by any means. Vladar and the Flyers would love to see that save percentage rise above .900 and the GAA to continue to stay below 3.00.
Vladar’s Career-High Stats
However, one statistic the Flyers would like to see the stay same and rise is Vladar’s shutouts. Vladar matched his career high with two shutouts last season. He also set a career high in saves with 727.
