"Dan exceeded expectations last year," general manager Daniel Briere said. "Not just on the ice but also off the ice too. Tremendous leader, tremendous human being. The way he interacted in the room with the guys, the way he found a way to get them going and wanted more. … It's more than his play on the ice. He was huge in our locker room. I don't expect that to change. He's just a good human being. It's good to have him around. We hope he keeps playing the way he did last year, and we believe he can for the next six years."
Vladar, who represented Team Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, set NHL career highs last season in wins (29), games played (52), starts (51), goals-against average (2.42) and save percentage (.906). His .937 5-on-5 save percentage tied Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild) for the NHL lead, and his .923 even-strength save percentage tied for second (minimum 30 games).
He had a 2.18 GAA, .922 save percentage and two shutouts in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games for Philadelphia (43-27-12), which lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Second Round after ending a five-season playoff drought.
"Obviously it means a lot," Vladar said Thursday. "I really enjoyed my time in Philly, my first year. For me, it was basically no hesitation, or no thinking longer than one second, when we started talking. I was really excited about it, so obviously, I'm super glad."
The contract further establishes Vladar as the Flyers’ No. 1 goalie, a role he eyed when he initially signed with them.
"Since Day 1, I really felt like I became a part of the family here, and that's why my goal is to stay here for as long as I can, and to have as much success as I can," Vladar said. "Obviously nothing's going to change for me heading into the next season. I'm still going to try to be the same goalie, and obviously be the same person, and really enjoy my time in Philly. My family loves it there too, which was a big factor as well."
Selected by the Boston Bruins in the third round (No. 75) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Vladar is 78-48-23 with a 2.81 GAA, .898 save percentage and four shutouts in 157 regular-season games (146 starts) with the Bruins, Calgary Flames and Flyers.
Briere said Wednesday there was some hesitation on the Flyers side about signing Vladar now, since it was the first time he had been a No. 1 goalie. But Briere believes the reward will be worth the risk.
"We're at a time where a lot of players are dictating where they want to go, they want to leave their team," Briere said. "We see it all over the place. We have a guy that wants to be here. … When your MVP from the previous year says I want to be here, this is my team, I want to lead this team, he made it really easy for us. Especially at the number we got him. He put it on the line. He played ball with us. If we wait, that number gets dramatically higher the following year."
The Flyers acquired Joseph Woll as part of a trade with the Toronto Mape Leafs for Ersson on June 16 to form a tandem with Vladar. Woll was 15-16-7 with a 3.34 GAA, .899 save percentage and two shutouts in 39 games (38 starts) for the Maple Leafs last season. In 2024-25, he was 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 42 games (41 starts).
"With Woll to help him … he's got a really strong helper right beside him," Briere said. "My hope is that with both those guys we can keep him fresh along the way, and we don't have to overplay one or the other. I think they'll support each other really well. I think that ups the chances that both these guys will be able to stay fresh and play well throughout the year."
The Flyers also signed forward Tyson Foerster to an eight-year, $56.8 million contract Wednesday. The deal, which begins in 2027-28, has an average annual value of $7.1 million.
NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman contributed to this report
