It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers have plenty to fix in their game, but their number one recurring problem has been in net. Over the years, the goaltending situation has been a source of frustration, inconsistency, and—at times—outright chaos.
The Flyers goalie carousel
Few seasons illustrate this better than 2018–19, when the Flyers set an NHL record by using eight different goaltenders in a single season. You’d think that with eight options, at least one would stick. Wrong.
It started with veteran Brian Elliott, the expected starter, who went down with an early-season injury. Calvin Pickard, claimed off waivers, stepped in but struggled badly—posting poor numbers before being waived again after just 11 games. The Flyers then recalled Anthony Stolarz from Lehigh Valley, but he lasted only 12 games before being traded.
Mike McKenna and Alex Lyon rotated through the crease in early December. Then, on December 18, Carter Hart made his long-anticipated debut. Hart quickly became the brightest spot in an otherwise miserable year, rattling off an eight-game win streak before being sidelined himself in February. The Flyers dealt Stolarz for Cam Talbot to serve as Hart’s mentor, but Talbot appeared in only four games.
In short, it was a mess. The one silver lining? Hart proved he was the future.
Before that chaotic season, the Flyers had enjoyed a rare stretch of stability with Steve Mason as their starter from 2014 to 2017. But since then, the organization has been back in trial-and-error mode following the controversial Carter Hart court case, which involved members of the 2018 Canada World Junior Championship team and a sexual assault. While he’s been found not-guilty, the allegations alone carry so much weight and horror that it decimated his chances of a Flyers, and potential NHL return, with all players named in the case being ineligible to return while the league reviews everything.
More recently, Sam Ersson has handled starter duties, with the team cycling through different backups in search of a reliable tandem. Unfortunately, with limited cap space until next offseason, the Flyers are, for now, stuck with what they have.
A new hope
That’s where Dan Vladar comes in. At 27 years old, the Czech netminder may not be the long-term answer to Philadelphia’s goaltending curse, but he brings NHL experience and a recent track record of steady play. Drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2015 and later traded to Calgary, Vladar spent four seasons with the Flames, mostly as a backup. In 2024–25, he posted a 12–11–6 record with a 2.80 GAA and .898 save percentage, including two shutouts. More impressively, he finished the year on a tear, going 6–1–1 with a .927 save percentage in his final nine appearances.
Signed to a two-year, $6.7 million deal on July 1, 2025, Vladar enters Flyers camp ready to battle for playing time with Ersson. General Manager Daniel Brière has emphasized that nothing is guaranteed and that healthy competition is exactly what the team needs. Vladar has echoed that sentiment, saying he wants to earn his starts and prove he can be a force in net. Having heard glowing reviews of the city and organization from fellow Czech players like Jakub Voráček, Radko Gudas, Michal Neuvirth, and even Jaromír Jágr, Vladar believes Philadelphia is the right place for the next chapter of his career.
Whether he becomes the answer or just another name in the Flyers’ long goalie carousel remains to be seen. But for a team desperate for stability in net, adding Vladar to a depth chart that also includes Aleksei Kolosov, Ivan Fedotov, and prospect Carson Bjarnason at least gives them options—something they lacked in their most infamous seasons of goaltending chaos.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
