The Flyers are ready to sign Vladar to an extension – but what will it cost?
During his end-of-season media availability last week, goaltender Dan Vladar didn’t hide the fact he would be more than happy to sign an extension with the Philadelphia Flyers. Vladar, 28, inked a two-year, $6.7-million contract with the Flyers last July. 1; he is eligible for an extension the same day of this year.
The signing of Vladar did raise some eyebrows, as the career backup was brought into a woeful goaltending situation in Philadelphia. According to sources, the Flyers were well aware of the risks that went into signing Vladar, specifically that he never played more than 30 games in a season. Ultimately Vladar was a major success, as the former Boston Bruins draft pick was the Flyers’ MVP throughout the season, finishing with a .906 save percentage and being a dominant presence during the playoffs.
According to team sources, the Flyers are comfortable extending Vladar this summer if it “makes sense.” Looking at goaltender contracts signed over the last calendar year, the four most comparable – age and stats wise – are Thatcher Demko’s three-year contract ($8.5 million AAV) with the Vancouver Canucks, Lukas Dostal’s five-year contract ($6.5 million AAV) with the Anaheim Ducks, Filip Gustavsson’s five-year contract ($6.8 million) with the Minnesota Wild and Anthony Stolarz’ four-year contract ($3.75 million) with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Among all of them, Gustavsson’s age (27 years old, less than a year younger) and .904 SV% compares the best to Vladar during the last 12 months. Gustavsson does have significantly better numbers over his career and has 62 more regular-season games of experience, which will be a negotiation point from the Flyers’ side.
Speaking with team sources, it sounds like the Flyers are comfortable going five years with Vladar but not at a $6.8-million AAV like Gustavsson’s for the aforementioned reasons. According to sources, an AAV slightly south of $6 million would make sense for Vladar on a five-year term. Even as a backup, a (hypothetical) $5.75-million AAV will be the going rate in a few years with the salary cap on an astronomical ascent. Given Vladar’s reputation as being such a good teammate, he would be the ideal backup if (or when) one of the Flyers’ younger goaltenders like Carson Bjarnason or Yegor Zavragin emerges.
If Vladar wants a higher AAV closer to the $7-million range, Demko’s three-year contract could make sense for both sides. Given that the deal will only kick in when Vladar is 29, three years would give him the chance to sign another decent ticket at the age of 32, when he’d be a lot more likely to get a significant deal as opposed to age 34, which could be a selling point for the player.
As for backup Samuel Ersson, sources tell Daily Faceoff the Flyers are still not sure what direction they will go with him. Ersson, 26, had an up and down season, finishing with a career worst .870 SV% – though he did bounce back later in the year.
If the Flyers elect to go in a different direction, Joseph Woll of the Leafs is a name sources had indicated to DFO as a name the Flyers like. Woll, who turns 28 this July, is part of a three-goaltender situation in Toronto along with Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby; with all of them needing to clear waivers, one will likely be dealt in the summer.
Woll finished the season with a .899 SV% in 39 games played and has a career SV% of .906. He is under contract for two more seasons and carries an AAV of a little more than $3.66 million.
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