Flyers’ Dan Vladař is happy to have found a team that believes in him: ‘I don’t take it for granted’
After a breakout first season with the Flyers, the Czech goalie is now locked in for the next six years after signing a five-year, $27.5 million contract extension Wednesday.
The word “believe” was used throughout the Flyers’ run to the postseason and beyond.
It was in big letters on the T-shirts the team wore, with 3.8% on the sleeve and beloved goalie Bernie Parent’s mask. And, a year ago, it was why Dan Vladař signed with the Flyers. He believed he could be a No. 1 goalie, and he believed something special was brewing in Philly.
» READ MORE: Flyers sign goalie Dan Vladař to a five-year, $27.5 million extension
That belief became a reality when, across 51 starts, he went 29-14-7 and recorded the most wins by a Flyers goalie since Steve Mason in 2013-14. He finished the regular season with a 2.42 goals-against average and .906 save percentage, with one relief appearance included. He was even better in the playoffs, posting a 2.18 GAA, a .922 save percentage, and two shutouts.
The Flyers showed how much they believe in Vladař on Wednesday by signing him to a five-year, $27.5 million contract extension that carries an annual average value of $5.5 million.
Vladař, who turns 29 next month, spoke to the Flyers’ brass not long after the season concluded, and said that two weeks after the exit interviews, the deal was done. There was no hesitation and “no thinking longer than one second” on his part to get it done.
“Obviously, it means a lot. I, for sure, I don’t take it for granted,” he said on a Zoom with reporters Thursday when asked what it means to him to have the Flyers believe in him. “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.
“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, and obviously my family loves it there, too, which was a big factor as well.”
Family is another word used religiously by the Flyers. Vladař said when he signed his initial two-year contract last July 1, every player reached out to him. They welcomed him with open arms, and it’s akin to how he reached out to the newest goalies in the organization, Martin Psohlavec and Marek Sklenička. The fellow Czechs were drafted by the Flyers last weekend.
“I spoke to them right away on Saturday,” he said. “Both seemed really excited to be part of the Flyers, and I basically just congratulated them. I just told them that I’m here for them if they ever have any questions and stuff like that. And at the same time, if they are going to be in Prague around the summer, they are more than welcome to go for lunch or come over for some barbecue.”
It will be a 50% new look between the pipes for the Flyers this upcoming season. Sam Ersson was traded to Toronto before his rights were traded to Ottawa. He signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract with the Senators on Wednesday.
Vladař said the news of the trade on June 16 was shocking — “I never saw that coming” — and called it a sad day.
“First of all, I want to say thank you to Sam. He’s been one of the big reasons why we had a pretty good year, us as a team,” Vladař said. “I cannot wish him anything, just the best. And 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.”
And, yes, he has spoken with Joseph Woll, his new goalie partner acquired in the swap with Toronto.
» READ MORE: Dan Vladař has been the Flyers’ MVP all season long. He’s also far from your typical goalie.
“I reached out right away to Joe,” he said. “... And same thing as with Sam; we are going to need two, if not three, goalies over the next couple of years. So, for me, nothing’s changing. I’m going to be supportive, and I’m going to battle, and I’m going to be there for him every time he needs me. So nothing’s changing for me.
“And he seemed like a really good person and a guy who wants to be a Flyer. So I think that’s what we are trying to build here. So I’m pretty sure that we are going to have great chemistry, and we are going to do something really special here.”