With a great first impression, a strong playoff run, and a new five-year extension in his back pocket, Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar is having a good 2026. And it seems the NHL Network has given the netminder some kudos in his direction, putting him eighth in the outlet’s Top 10 goaltenders at the present time.
Vladar was praised for his consistency and stellar work, with him third in goals-against average overall (2.42) for goaltenders who played a minimum of 35 games. “It was a really impressive season for Dan Vladar,” NHL Network’s Cory Schneider said. “We talked about getting about getting your opportunity to be a number one goaltender and running with it, well, that was him to a tee last year.”
After noting his stints in Boston and Calgary were far more backup situations, Schneider praised the Flyers for signing the goaltender last summer. “I thought what Philly did going out, identifying a guy who was maybe underutilized, who had some upside, and bringing him in at a decent price. He’s earned that new contract, but man, him in the playoffs and the way he carried that Philadelphia team, they exceeded my expectations every step of the way. And he was a huge part of it. I thought he had a special season every step of the way.”
The outlet also pointed to Vladar’s numbers in the playoffs. Despite being swept by the eventual Cup champions in Carolina, Vladar ranked first in save percentage for goaltenders with a minimum of five games played (.922). He was also second in goals-against average (2.18), fourth in goals saved above expected (9.85) to go along with two shutouts. And finally, the network believed the Flyers might have finally found their goaltender after attempts to fill the role previously have been failures. Vladar’s win total (29) was the most by any Flyers goalie since Steve Mason’s 33 victories back in 2013-14. Yes, it’s been a while!
Now with Vladar signed to a new extension, and the replacement of Sam Ersson with former Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll, the idea is that a wee bit of pressure on Vladar’s shoulders have been removed. Woll should be a step up from Ersson, meaning the 30 to 35 games Woll might get the nod for should result in more victories. That should allow Vladar to not enter every game down the stretch being a must-win situation. Essentially, they should be able to bank a few more points in the earlier part of 2026 than they did last year.
The network placed four Metropolitan Division goaltenders on the list, and three from the Atlantic Division. Topping the list was Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, with Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin second and third, respectively. Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders was fourth, Boston’s Jeremy Swayman fifth, Washington’s Logan Thompson sixth, and Jake Oettinger of the Stars in seventh. Rounding out the list after Vladar was Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt and Jakub Dobes of the Canadiens.
With training camp now officially one month away (September 17), it’s crucial Vladar begins the season with much the same high-level of play and confidence he did when he started the 2025-26 campaign.