- May 21, 2026
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The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the surprises of the 2025-26 NHL season, in large part thanks to the contributions of goalie Dan Vladar, who Daniel Briere and the front office signed to a two-year contract in unrestricted free agency last summer.
The Flyers finished in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 43-27-12 as Vladar posted a .906 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average to earn a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Once there, Philadelphia knocked out its in-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round before getting swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second, while Vladar had a .922 SV% and 2.18 GAA with a pair of shutouts in the postseason.
Now, it appears Vladar and the Flyers will extend their partnership with a lengthy contract extension, which he will become eligible to sign on July 1.
According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Vladar is expected to sign a five-year contract extension that will carry a salary cap hit of $5.5 million, a sizable raise from the $3.35 million per year he earns on his current contract.
For Briere, the move locks in a starting goalie for a total of six more seasons at a number that will account for less and less of the salary cap hit as the upper limit increases with time, but also marks a sizable gamble on a goalie who had never played more than 30 games in a season prior to this most recent one.
The 2025-26 season was just the second campaign of Vladar’s career in which he surpassed a .900 save percentage. The Prague native, who made the Czech Olympic team earlier this year, was a member of the Calgary Flames for the four prior seasons, which comprised the entirety of his NHL career aside a five-game stint with the Boston Bruins that included his NHL debut in 2020-21.
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The Flyers finished in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 43-27-12 as Vladar posted a .906 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average to earn a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Once there, Philadelphia knocked out its in-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round before getting swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second, while Vladar had a .922 SV% and 2.18 GAA with a pair of shutouts in the postseason.
Now, it appears Vladar and the Flyers will extend their partnership with a lengthy contract extension, which he will become eligible to sign on July 1.
According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Vladar is expected to sign a five-year contract extension that will carry a salary cap hit of $5.5 million, a sizable raise from the $3.35 million per year he earns on his current contract.
For Briere, the move locks in a starting goalie for a total of six more seasons at a number that will account for less and less of the salary cap hit as the upper limit increases with time, but also marks a sizable gamble on a goalie who had never played more than 30 games in a season prior to this most recent one.
The 2025-26 season was just the second campaign of Vladar’s career in which he surpassed a .900 save percentage. The Prague native, who made the Czech Olympic team earlier this year, was a member of the Calgary Flames for the four prior seasons, which comprised the entirety of his NHL career aside a five-game stint with the Boston Bruins that included his NHL debut in 2020-21.
Continue reading...