Flyers Extending Dan Vladar Could Cement Him Among Franchise’s Best Goalies – The Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

On July 1, 2025, Dan Vladař signed a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. On July 1, 2026, he may do the same thing.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Flyers are closing in on a five-year extension with a goaltender whom general manager Daniel Brière was hesitant to sign for two seasons. But 52 regular-season and 10 playoff games of mostly excellence later, the team is close to committing to the 28-year-old for the long haul.

Our Justin Giampietro already broke down the present and future implications the deal could have for the Flyers. But inking such a large contract at hockey’s most important position is worth zooming out on, especially given the struggles that have defined the Flyers in the 21st century.

Examining the History

In just one season, Vladař climbed to 28th on Philadelphia’s all-time goalie games played list. Before his current contract expires at the end of next season, he could easily become the 20th netminder to suit up for 100 games in a Flyers uniform.

However, just two have backstopped the Flyers in at least seven seasons — Ron Hextall and Bernie Parent lead the table, both with just under 500 games played for the Orange and Black across 11 and 10 seasons, respectively. With that much quantity on one team, there’s usually quality, and that’s the case here.

Hextall delivered one of the greatest seasons by a rookie goalie in NHL history in 1986-87, finishing second in Calder Trophy voting but somehow winning the Vezina Trophy by leading the league with a .902 save percentage (SV%) and 37 wins. In the playoffs, he became one of the now five players to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for a team that didn’t win the Stanley Cup. Oh, and he returned after sabbaticals in Quebec City and on Long Island to take the Flyers back to the Final a decade later.

Parent would’ve certainly eclipsed Hextall’s longevity if not for an eye injury at 33 years old. Before that happened, he racked up a pair of Vezinas and backstopped the Flyers to their Cups in 1974 and 1975, posting a shutout in both clinching games. He’s not just a Hall of Fame inductee but was named a member of the NHL’s Centennial Team in 2017.

If Vladař maintained his 52-game workload for the next six seasons, that would give him 364 appearances with the Flyers, easily the third most all-time (Steve Mason holds that spot currently at 231). Only five have crossed the 200-game threshold, and just two in the 21st century. Keep his 29-win standard intact over that time, and he’d clear 200 in that department as well, which only Hextall and Parent have accomplished, and only Mason has even gotten halfway to.

His .906 SV% is tied for eighth in team history (min. 50 games), but that doesn’t tell the story across different eras. HockeyReference’s goals saved above average is a better way to compare over time. Vladař finished with 13.1 in year one as a Flyer, which would pace for 91.7 over seven seasons. That would actually be second in Flyers history, several miles behind Parent’s 293.7. Bob Froese and Doug Favell are the only other Flyers to clear 80.

There are a variety of reasons why it’s unlikely Vladař will maintain his current pace. Age will eventually become a factor (a five-year extension would take Vladař until age 34). A prospect like Yegor Zavragin may cut into Vladař’s starts even if he continues to perform well, which is also no guarantee. But he also doesn’t need to to enter the top three, let alone five, in many important categories.

Open Spot on Flyers’ Goalie Mount Rushmore

One name not mentioned is Pelle Lindbergh, who was establishing himself as a worthy successor to Parent with a Vezina and Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1985. But less than a year later, Lindbergh’s career and life came to an abrupt, tragic end in a fatal car crash while driving over the legal blood alcohol level.

Parent and Hextall are easily the team’s two best goalies, and while Lindbergh’s career was far more brief than anyone expected, the brilliance he showed on the ice probably earn him the honor as the team’s third-best backstopper. But if you want to complete a Mount Rushmore on the topic, a classic sports ranking device, there’s a spot for the taking.

The trio of Parent, Hextall, and Lindbergh (80) have combined for six of the team’s eight Stanley Cup Final appearances. The only others to reach that stage as the team’s primary starter are Pete Peeters and Michael Leighton. The former was a two-time All-Star but his Vezina win came the year after leaving the Flyers (although like Parent and Hextall, he came back for a second stint). Leighton doesn’t have nearly the longevity and is best remembered for a shot he didn’t save. He’s also a Flyers two-timer, weirdly enough.

You could make a case for names like Froese, Favell and Brian Boucher or argue for the short-lived peak of Roman Čechmánek for that fourth position. But whoever you’d like to put in that spot for now, you can acknowledge that it feels like a placeholder. And Vladar could have quite the runway to chase it down.

Can he get there? Obviously, that’s a difficult question. Working in Vladař’s favor is the upward trajectory of the franchise. While there are still key questions to answer, the Flyers took a solid step forward last season and hope to start establishing themselves as a regular playoff team and, eventually, a Cup contender. A long-term goalie on that type of team will rack up plenty of stats and have the opportunity to deliver signature performances like Vladař’s 42-save shutout in this year’s first round clinching Game 6.

Long Way to Go

Goaltending has been a sore spot for the Flyers for a quarter-century. From seeing young players like Bobrovsky, Alex Lyon and Anthony Stolarz find success elsewhere to big names like Ilya Bryzgalov flop, it’s natural to be skeptical. In fact, the rumored Vladar extension would be the biggest the Flyers have signed a goaltender to since Bryzgalov’s nine-year, $51 million contract in 2011. He didn’t make it to year three, with compliance buyouts following the 2013 lockout saving the team from a cap nightmare.

Right now, Vladař is just 28th in games played and 29th in wins in team history. In the playoffs, he’s tied for 15th and 16th in those categories, respectively. As a cautionary tale, it looked like Sean Couturier was close to a lock to break Bobby Clarke’s franchise games played record when he signed an eight-year extension in 2021. He’ll still probably get there, but a 20-month absence due to injury brought it into legitimate jeopardy.

Lots of players have great seasons. It’s much harder to sustain those results over a long period of time, year-in and year-out. If the Flyers put pen to paper on a long-term deal, they’ll codify their belief Vladař is capable of reaching that level.