Philadelphia Flyers Goaltending Future: Dan Vladar Extension Talks
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar, 28, has been making a strong case for himself as a potential number one goalie. He currently holds an 18-9-6 record, with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. Vladar is in the first year of a two-year contract, carrying a $3.35 million cap hit, and will become eligible for an extension this offseason. This raises the question of whether the Flyers should pursue an early long-term deal.
A possible benchmark for Vladar’s next contract could be Filip Gustavsson’s five-year, $34 million extension with the Minnesota Wild. However, Vladar himself believes it’s premature to consider an extension. “It’s too early for that,” he stated. “I wanted to come here, so if I didn’t want to stay here, I wouldn’t (have come) here. But it’s too early for that. I’m focusing on my team this season and next game in Toronto (on Monday) or (whenever) I’m going to play. It’s too far ahead. I’m living my life day by day, week by week.”
While the Flyers do possess several goaltending prospects within their system—including Aleksei Kolosov, Carson Bjarnason (a 2023 second-round pick), and Egor Zavragin (a 2023 third-round pick)—they are not yet considered close to being ready for NHL regular season action.
The Most Sought-After College and European Free Agents
As teams prepare to bolster their rosters, attention is turning to the pool of promising college and European players who are expected to become unrestricted free agents. Here’s a ranking of the top 13 prospects, alongside other notable talents:
- Vitaly Pinchuk, LW, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)
- Tyson Gross, C, St. Cloud State (NCHC)
- Jack Stockfish, C, College of the Holy Cross (AHA)
- Joshua Eernisse, RW, Michigan (Big Ten)
- Bennett Schimek, LW, Arizona State (NCHC)
- Lawton Zacher, G, Northeastern (Hockey East)
- Danil Aimurzin, C, Severstal (KHL)
- Aleksi Kivioja, C, Providence (Hockey East)
- T.J. Hughes, C, Michigan (Big Ten)
- Jake Livanavage, LHD, North Dakota (NCHC)
- Patrik Puistola, LW, Örebro (SHL)
- JJ Wiebusch, RW, Penn State (Big Ten)
- Jack Musa, LW, UMass (Hockey East)
Other Notables (listed alphabetically)
- Vinny Borgesi (defense, Northeastern)
- Hank Cleaves (center, Dartmouth)
- Matthew DiMarsico (left wing, Penn State)
- Viking Gustafsson Nyberg (defense, UConn)
- Joshua Kotai (goaltender, Augustana)
- Owen Michaels (center, Western Michigan)
- Nick Malik (goaltender, Plzen)
- Ellis Rickwood (center, North Dakota)
- Riley Thompson (left wing, Ohio State)
- Yegor Vinogradov (right wing, Torpedo)
