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With Vladar the key, Flyers formed new goalie picture in two summers
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- With Vladar the key, Flyers formed new goalie picture in two summers
With Vladar the key, Flyers formed new goalie picture in two summers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers probably had no concern about Dan Vladar meshing with a new backup goaltender.
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Part of the reason they didn't waste any time signing Vladar to a long-term extension was because of his team orientation.
"Tremendous leader," Danny Briere said July 1 , "tremendous human being."
Joseph Woll, shortly after learning he had been traded to the Flyers, experienced Vladar's likable spirit. Vladar tracked down Woll's phone number with an assist from Joe Siville, the Flyers' vice president of hockey communications.
"Vladdy was nice enough to shoot me a message right when it happened," Woll said in June. "I haven't gotten the opportunity to meet him yet, but from what I hear, he's an unbelievable dude. I'm just pumped to have a great goalie partner."
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The Flyers' first move of the offseason was acquiring Woll. The club clearly felt it needed to improve at the No. 2 spot in net. Briere made a goalie swap with the Maple Leafs , moving Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a 2026 third-round pick to Toronto for Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit.
At the Olympic break last season, Ersson was just 8-10-5 with a 3.51 goals-against average and an .856 save percentage. The Flyers went into the break with 12 losses over their last 15 games , a stretch that coincided with Vladar suffering an injury .
After the break, when his number was called, Ersson delivered for the Flyers. He went 6-1-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. Despite the strong finish, Ersson still had the worst save percentage of his career at .870.
After being sent to the Maple Leafs, he was dealt to the Senators and later signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract. Vladar said it was a "sad day" when the Flyers traded Ersson.
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"First of all, I want to say thank you to Sam," Vladar said last month. "He has been one of the big reasons why we had a pretty good year, us as a team. I cannot wish him anything but the best. I hope he's going to get his role, he's going to get his games and he's going to prove to everybody that he's a starting goalie. That's my belief."
Vladar came to the Flyers last summer and turned into the club's most valuable player. He had a breakout season , leading the Flyers to the second round of the playoffs . He's now under contract for six more seasons.
In Vladar fashion, he expressed optimism about working with Woll.
"I'm going to be supportive, I'm going to battle and I'm going to be there for him every time he needs me," Vladar, who turns 29 years old this month, said. "He seemed like a really good person and a guy who wants to be a Flyer. I think that's what we are trying to build here. I'm pretty sure that we are going to have great chemistry and we are going to do something really special here."
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Woll, who turned 28 in July, spent parts of five seasons with Toronto and experienced the playoffs for three of them. He's coming off a 15-16-7 season in which he recorded a 3.34 goals-against average, an .899 save percentage and two shutouts. The 2024-25 season was his best as he went 27-14-1 with a 2.73 goals-against and .909 save percentage.
Staying healthy will be critical for Woll, who was injured at times over the last three seasons. But his years in a pressure-filled market like the Maple Leafs should help him with the Flyers.
"Philly's a pretty storied franchise, just like Toronto," Woll said. "I'm excited to come into a place like that. Actually a couple of my best friends are from Philly. I've reached out to them, from my experience and from them growing up, it just seems like Philly's an unbelievable city to play in with the great fan base. I'm really excited for that. Every time I've gone, the building seems to be rocking."
