Philadelphia Flyers hockey is right around the corner, so it’s time to start talking about what could be a hot topic of this season: goaltending. Goaltending is a huge aspect of the game that either determines a win or loss for the team. There’s plenty of other factors that play into this, but goaltending is definitely one of the big ones.
In my opinion, goaltending hasn’t been a strong suite for the Flyers for a while now. Ever since Carter Hart went on leave, it hasn’t been consistent enough and has definitely cost the team plenty of games. Could you throw in the argument of injuries? Absolutely. However, when you have someone like Ivan Fedotov who stands at 6’7″ tall and weighing in at 214 lbs., you’d think size could win you some games with how much net is covered. Unfortunately, Fedotov didn’t use his size to his advantage and was very inconsistent in net.
Let’s turn things over to starting goaltender Samuel Ersson. Last season was his first season as the Flyers number one goaltender. The consistency argument that was made for Fedotov could apply to Ersson as well. I know every goaltender is going to have his ups and downs during the course of the season. This really goes for every athlete in every sport if you think about it. However, as a number one (starting) goaltender, it’s important that they take charge in net and perform to the best of their ability.
I have no doubt that Ersson did what he could each night in net, but I do think injuries hurt him quite a bit. He sustained a groin injury back in November 2024 that kept him out for a month and then would suffer another injury on New Year’s Eve after getting run into by San Jose Sharks Center Luke Kunin. At season’s end, Ersson would admit that he was dealing with a lingering injury throughout the entire second half.
With all of this being said, injuries and not using size to your advantage really hurt the Flyers last season. There are multiple other things that hurt them, but for the sake of this article, I’m only pointing out those aspects.
Free agency started up back on July 1, 2025, and the Flyers front office would make a few signings to help fill holes for this upcoming season. One signing that was made was bringing in former Calgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar. Flyers general manager Daniel Briere would sign him to a two-year, $6.7M contract to possibly be a backup to Ersson.
Vladar was drafted by the Boston Bruins back in 2015 with the 14th pick in the third round, or 75th overall. He would play five games for them and then be traded to the Flames on July 28, 2021, for a third-round pick in the 2022 Draft. Last season, Vladar started 29 games and appeared in 30 total. In those 30 games, he finished with a record of 12-11-6, a 2.80 goals against average (GAA), and a .898 save percentage.
Only starting 29 games out of an 82-game season was something Vladar wasn’t pleased with. Therefore, that led him to moving on from Calgary and signing with Philadelphia. Briere would answer questions in a press conference after making his free agency signings and talked about the Vladar signing.
“Vladar told us very early on that he saw an opportunity, he wanted to come in and compete in Philadelphia, so we jumped on it….There’s no perfect goalie that was available out there, but we feel he gives us a chance to come in and compete with our group and push the envelope.”
Will Vladar be the starter or the backup in the 2025-26 season? No one knows. I’m sure training camp and preseason will answer that question.
Who does Vladar think should be the starter? Flyers Nitty Gritty’s own Jamey Baskow tweeted about it on X.
What this means for Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov is something I’m not sure of. Will they start in LeHigh Valley with the Phantoms? Are the rumors true that Kolosov is going back home? There are lots of questions that I don’t have the answers to. However, I do hope that the goaltending this season improves and doesn’t decline.
Last season’s goaltending stats:
Ersson: 47 GP, 22-17-5, 3.14 GAA, .883 SV%
Fedotov: 26 GP, 6-13-4, 3.15 GAA, .880 SV%
Kolosov: 17 GP, 5-9-1, 3.59 GAA, .867 SV%
Vladar (CGY): 30 GP, 12-11-6, 2.80 GAA, .898 SV%
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I think positive and see Vlader playing 50 games with a .908 save percentage
The others we have no idea