Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Daniel Vladař is turning heads this season after a career resurgence with the club.Initially signed to a two-year, $6.7 million contract following underwhelming stints with Boston and Calgary,the 28-year-old Czech native has quickly become the Flyers’ primary netminder,exceeding expectations and bolstering the team’s playoff hopes. Vladař’s strong performance is not only impacting the Flyers’ standing in the Eastern Conference but is also creating a competitive dilemma for the czech national team as they prepare for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan.
Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere initially offered goaltender Daniel Vladař a one-year contract, but ultimately agreed to a two-year deal. Now, the team may be reconsidering whether a longer-term commitment would have been wise, as the Czech netminder appears to be having a breakout season.
Briere’s initial caution was understandable. After consulting with Flyers goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh, he saw potential in Vladař, but also had to consider the goalie’s less-than-stellar past statistics.
The Kladno native played 105 games for Boston and Calgary, posting a save percentage of 89.5%. Advanced statistics also indicated below-average performance.
Last season, when given the opportunity to be Calgary’s primary goaltender, Vladař lost out to the younger Dustin Wolf.
However, things are different in Philadelphia. The 28-year-old Vladař immediately asserted himself as the team’s number one goaltender at the start of the season, leaving Samuel Ersson of Sweden and Alexei Kolosov of Belarus looking on from the bench.
Specifically, the Czech goaltender has appeared in 16 of the team’s 26 games, stopping 90.6% of shots faced. According to MoneyPuck, he has stopped approximately 11 goals more than expected.
“The best goalie story of the season so far,” wrote The Athletic in early December. “Over the past three years, Vladař was the eighth-worst goalie among all players with 17 goals against. This season, he’s in the top ten.”
Without Vladař’s performance, the Flyers, a team largely written off by analysts, would likely be struggling to contend for a playoff spot.
“Vladař is looking like one of the best signings of the past summer, he’s doing a great job,” popular journalist Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
“Everyone is talking about Zegras, and that makes sense because he’s playing very well in Philly. But Vladař is really one of the most insightful, smartest pre-season moves.”
The reason General Manager Briere agreed to a two-year contract with an average annual salary of $3.35 million was the appealing combination of Vladař’s attributes.
At 196 centimeters (approximately 6’5”), Vladař is one of the tallest goaltenders in the league, but he doesn’t appear stiff or awkward. He moves well for his size.
“The potential has always been there, now Vladař is playing the best hockey of his career,” journalist Jesse Granger wrote in early December. “He looks more in control of his game, and occupies a large portion of the net even when going down into a butterfly position. This largely explains why he has the fourth-highest save percentage on shots from within nine meters (87.8%).”
Vladař’s success also has implications for the Czech national team’s head coach, Radim Růžička, as he prepares to announce his roster for the February Olympics in Milan. While options are limited at forward and defense, the Czechs have a wealth of NHL goaltenders to choose from. Currently, seven Czech goalies are regularly playing in the NHL.
Lukáš Dostál of Anaheim currently appears to have a secure spot, having been named to the preliminary six-player roster in June.
However, according to both standard and advanced statistics, Dostál is now only the second-best Czech goaltender, albeit very closely (90.4% save percentage, 10 goals saved above expectation). Vladař currently leads the way. This increased competition could lead to difficult decisions for the coach as he finalizes the Olympic team.
