The Philadelphia Flyers could be getting close to inking starting goaltender Dan Vladar to a long-term extension.
According to a report by insider Kevin Weekes on Sunday, the Flyers are looking to lock up the 28-year-old netminder to a five-year extension. The financials are believed to be in the $5 million range.
👀 Per sources, I’m told G Vladar and
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 14, 2026
the @NHLFlyers are working towards
closing in on a 5 Yr Contract Extension
that’s likely to land in the mid 5M AAV
range. #HockeyX pic.twitter.com/V0ubAjFEx1
The purported deal will end speculation about Vladar’s future in Philly. The Flyers signed the former third-round pick to a two-year deal worth $3.35 million AAV. The contract was believed to be onerous, considering that Vladar had been a backup for his career.
That changed in Philadelphia. The Flyers needed someone to step up this season, and the Czech goalie did just that. He started 52 games, posting a 2.42 GAA and a .906 SV%. He carried the Flyers past the Penguins in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Unfortunately, Vladar and the Flyers ran out of gas in the second round against the powerhouse Carolina Hurricanes.
As another insider, Pierre LeBrun, noted, the Flyers and Vladar aren’t quite there yet on a deal. However, he did confirm Weekes’ version, adding that a deal cannot officially get done until July 1.
Still a bit of work to be done on the extension, but once done it can't be officially signed and announced until July 1 because Vladar has another year on his deal. Told once done, it will be in the 5-6 year range and as @KevinWeekes says, salary/cap hit in the 5's https://t.co/wd27U6YWHD
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 15, 2026
As such, once the deal gets done, it will remain a handshake agreement until July 1. Players entering the final year of their contracts cannot sign until July 1 of the final year of their deal.
It’s worth noting that the NHL year goes from July 1 to June 30. Hence, the 2025-26 season will officially end on June 30, and the 2026-27 season will begin on July 1.
Vladar extension does not come without risk
The Vladar extension does not come without risk. The Flyers are essentially paying their starting netminder based on one year’s worth of fantastic play. As such, there’s always the chance that Vladar could see some backwardation next season.
While there doesn’t really seem to be any indication that would be the case, it’s a possibility. Teams often move to lock up a player following a career season, only to see them regress to their career averages.
In Vladar’s case, that statement should come with a grain of salt. The numbers he’s put up over his career mainly came with a bad Calgary Flames team. In particular, his 2024-25 numbers came for a Calgary team that wasn’t really the best defensive squad in the league.
In Philly, Vladar played behind a much more defensively sound team under Rick Tocchet’s tutelage. Most importantly, Vladar got the nod as the team’s starter. In Calgary, Vladar was a backup, eventually losing any hope of starting due to the emergence of Dustin Wolf.
Ultimately, the Flyers will take a calculated risk with Vladar. There’s no reason to believe he should regress in any way. That’s why the biggest question will be whether he can take the next step as the Flyers move from a playoff team to a Stanley Cup contender.
