“From the moment Dan arrived in Philadelphia, he exceeded our expectations,” Philadelphia general manager Daniel Briere said. “He earned this contract extension by the way he competed every time he stepped in net.
“Beyond his play on the ice, he was an exceptional addition to our locker room becoming a big leader and positive force for our group. He’s a valued teammate who really gained the trust and respect of his teammates and coaching staff right from the get-go.”
Vladar, who represented Team Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, set NHL career highs last season in wins (29), games played (52), starts (51), goals-against average (2.42) and save percentage (.906). His .937 5-on-5 save percentage tied Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild) for the NHL lead, and his .923 even-strength save percentage tied for second (minimum 30 games).
He had a 2.18 GAA, .922 save percentage and two shutouts in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games for Philadelphia (43-27-12), which lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Second Round after ending a five-season playoff drought.
The contract further establishes Vladar as the Flyers’ No. 1 goalie, a role he eyed when he initially signed with them.
"That was probably one of the biggest things why I already wanted to come here, because I saw the opportunity," Vladar said after the series loss to the Hurricanes in May. "For me, it's not going to change a lot of things. It's going to be taking a look at my season and being honest about it and seeing and obviously working on those things that weren't great because sometimes the pucks are going your way, sometimes they don't. But what you can control is your preparation and how much work you do, whether it's over the summer or during the season.
“I can assure you that I'm going to do everything in my power to set myself up for the best success again."
Selected by the Boston Bruins in the third round (No. 75) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Vladar is 78-48-23 with a 2.81 GAA, .898 save percentage and four shutouts in 157 regular-season games (146 starts) with the Bruins, Calgary Flames and Flyers.
"He blew (away) the expectations that we had on him," Briere said in May. "Going into the season, I know (the media) wrote about how he had never played more than 30 games in a season in the NHL. Obviously that was a worry for us, and that's why we thought it was going to be a good tandem with Sam (Ersson). But he really took over and earned more starts. I think he had 52 starts, or 52 games he played in this year, which exceeded his previous number by a lot. So, that gives you confidence, because of the way he played in the playoffs too. He didn't slow down, and he was just as good, or even better, in the playoffs. So that was really exciting to see.
“It makes us believe that he could be the answer here for hopefully a few more years."
The Flyers acquired Joseph Woll as part of a trade with the Toronto Mape Leafs for Ersson on June 16 to form a tandem with Vladar. Woll was 15-16-7 with a 3.34 GAA, .899 save percentage and two shutouts in 39 games (38 starts) for the Maple Leafs last season. In 2024-25, he was 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 42 games (41 starts).
"We thought it was a chance to improve the team, help them take another step," Briere said. "… We felt Woll, it's a step forward for us and he'll be able to help 'Vladdy' in a tandem role."
NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman contributed to this report
