The Philadelphia Flyers are set to enter their most important offseason in recent years. The team clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2020 and advanced to the second round after defeating the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. Now, it's up to general manager Danny Briere to continue the momentum to ensure this is a team that can be consistent playoff contenders and compete for the Stanley Cup for years to come.
The Flyers have one player they immediately need to extend is forward Trevor Zegras, who is a restricted free agent. The belief is that both sides will agree to terms, considering they both expressed publicly that they'd like to get an extension done. Then, there's Dan Vladar, who is under contract for one more year. Vladar was a steady presence in net throughout the regular season and the playoffs, the goalie they've truly been missing out on in recent years. Even so, it'd make sense for the Flyers to extend Vladar to ensure they don't have to search for a starting goaltender again.
It appears that Briere accomplished that.
During an appearance on Sportsnet's The FAN Hockey Show, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said that he believes the Flyers and Vladar already have a deal done, which could be a five-year extension. Friedman says that the deal should be announced by the start of free agency on July 1.
Elliotte Friedman believes Flyers and Dan Vladar have agreed to five-year contract extension
"Vladar, I think it's pretty much done. I think he's got a five-year extension done in Philly," said Friedman. "They can't announce it. They can't do anything until July 1."
It wasn't exactly a debate about whether or not the Flyers should extend Vladar in the offseason. Rather, it was how long of a contract extension would the team sign him to?
This past season was Vladar's first crack at being a legitimate, every game starting goaltender. While he did start games for the Calgary Flames, he was splitting time with Dustin Wolf, who ultimately became the No. 1 goaltender. Briere and the front office took a chance on Vladar, banking on him succeeding in Philadelphia. As Flyers fans have watched this season, he has shown just that.
However, there are going to be questions whether his play can be sustainable for years to come. It doesn't appear that the Flyers are too concerned if Friedman's projection on the contract term is to be believed. According to AFP Analytics, Vladar is projected to earn $6.35 million per year over five seasons. That would make Vladar the 14th highest-paid goalie in the NHL in terms of annual salary entering next season.
In 52 regular-season games, Vladar recorded a .906 save percentage, a 2.42 goals allowed average, and a 29-14-7 record. In the playoffs, Vladar posted a .922 save percentage and a 2.18 goals allowed average in 10 games.
It was important that the Flyers and Vladar would reach an agreement on an extension this offseason. Based on Friedman's comments on Tuesday, it sounds like it will be a formality once July 1 rolls around.
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