Every once in a great while, the Flyers enter an offseason where they aren’t pulling their hair out about the goaltending situation. And, thanks to Dan Vladar, the team can rest easy at the moment following the outstanding play he showed during his first season with the team.
As for who his partner(s) in the crease will be for the 2026-27 season, however, that’s still a matter of debate. Vladar firmly seized playing time from Sam Ersson last season, and he never let go, both as a result of Vladar’s performance and Ersson’s penchant for allowing backbreaking goals whenever he found himself in the net on a given night.
To Ersson’s credit, he was much better following the Olympic break when he spelled Vladar. Rick Tocchet didn’t turn to him much, but when he did, Ersson upped his game and played a role in finally getting the Flyers back to the postseason. But now, there is a decision.
Ersson is a free agent, and the Flyers must weigh the pros and cons of bringing him back. At the same time, there are young goalies in the pipeline, outside options, and even the possibility of a trade. For general manager Danny Briere, things can essentially be boiled down to four choices.
1. Find a veteran backup in free agency
Admittedly, the group of UFA goalies isn’t great, but the Flyers could kick the tires on the likes of Cam Talbot (we hardly knew ye the first time), Connor Ingram, David Rittich, and the like. These kinds of guys will take one-year deals and won’t put any meaningful dent in the finances. There is nothing exciting here, but you’re just looking for steady play while Vladar gets most of the time, and the young goalies in the system grow their game. And no, the Flyers aren’t going to be a player for top UFA goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, so put that out of your head.
2. Just run it back with Sam Ersson
Even less exciting than a veteran retread is the idea of extending a new contract to Ersson. Yes, he had a strong finish to his season, but the numbers tell the tale, as Ersson has a career .884 save percentage in 143 NHL games. And, according to the ‘Goals Saved Above Average’ statistic, Ersson sits at -56.2 for his career. Sad to say, but it might be best to just refrain from engaging him in contract talks and let some other team test the waters. Briere may hesitate slightly at upsetting locker room chemistry, but performance has to be the ultimate deciding factor.
Sam Ersson: "You could tell that, after a loss, we bounced back right away. For me, I looked at (the games after the Olympics) as a new chapter. "
— Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) May 12, 2026
Said he loves it in Philly and where he wants to be. Will let his agents and the team work on it. pic.twitter.com/ayIeEkoozh
3. Go young and cheap
If the Flyers do let Ersson walk, they still have Aleksei Kolosov (a pending restricted free agent) and Carson Bjarnason down on the farm. They could theoretically give both of them some time early in the season to see how it goes. Realistically, though, this is probably the least likely option to play out. Do the Flyers have time to spend on evaluating young goalies in NHL games when the team might have a small margin for error to return to the postseason? With the salary cap rising for next year, the team shouldn’t have to cut dollars at the backup goalie position, but you never know until the dust settles.
4. An intriguing trade
Yes, there is always the dream scenario of trading for an elite goalie who becomes the new No. 1 in net, but the more likely option here is trading for a distressed asset such as Canadiens netminder Sam Montembeault. With Jakub Dobes looking strong in this year’s playoffs and 21-year-old Jacob Fowler seemingly the long-term answer in goal for the Habs, Montreal doesn’t look like it has any room for the 29-year-old Montembeault, who was a part of Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team just last year. His current contract runs through next season and pays him a reasonable $3.15 million. Maybe he could rediscover his game and create more of a 1A/1B situation with Vladar. Is it really as simple as pivoting from one Sam to another? Food for thought.
With Vladar entering the final year of his contract, the team’s ability and willingness to extend him will also color their goaltending decisions this offseason. With so many variables in play, Danny Briere must proceed with caution to make sure that he gives the team the best chance to win now while simultaneously leaving room for future talent like Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin. As usual, nothing about this series of decisions will be easy.
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