While there was still a whole lot for us to go through, a whole lot of introductions to be made, in working through the forwards and defense groups making up the Flyers’ training camp roster, there’s markedly less for us to dig into on the goaltending side. But, all the same, let’s take a moment to check in with that group and see what the Flyers will be working with over this upcoming slate of four preseason games beginning next week.
Editor’s Note: This was written and published before the Flyers added 11 more players to the training camp roster. The team hates us.
Dan Vladar: Last summer’s big addition, Vladar came in for his first season with the Flyers and did everything and more than they could have hoped to see from him. Despite a couple of bumps in the road as far as his overall health was concerned, Vladar proved to be quite durable and, much more critically, a very dependable goaltender and foundational piece for a Flyers team which was desperately trying to take the next step forward to advance in their rebuild. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Flyers would not have found the success that they had last season — in the playoffs, but also in getting into the playoffs in the first place — if it weren’t for the remarkable work that Vladar was able to deliver for them.
And, for all of that excellent work, Vladar has already been awarded an extension to his contract — signed in July 1, as quickly as it could be done — leaving him set to stick around for a total of six more seasons. It’s a mark of serious praise and belief, but this season will still be a big one for Vladar, as he looks to keep working well for his team and to prove himself doubtlessly deserving of that hefty extension.
Joseph Woll: And now, of course, we turn to this offseason’s big addition. In the big shakeup move made back in June to ship out goaltender Sam Ersson and defenseman Emil Andrae to Toronto, Woll was brought back as the main return of that trade (as well as veteran defender in Simon Benoit, to even the scales). It’s been a little up and down for Woll over these last few seasons in Toronto, as he’s dealt with some injury trouble and a bit of inconsistency in his play, but there remains an interesting foundation here to his game, and it’s clear that the Flyers feel a lot of optimism that they can get the right kind of work in with him and their staff to build his game back up get him to the point of being the more consistent contributor that they think he can be, and indeed, that they quite desperately need.
With Vladar coming in and so quickly establishing himself as a dependable starter for this team, the need to find a dependable backup to support him became an even more pressing need, as the team looks to continue to build on all of the positive momentum gained from last year’s postseason push. We expect getting Woll completely settled in to be a bit of a process, to be sure, but this week will allow us to get our first impressions banked, and then we’ll see what he’s able to do from there.
Aleksei Kolosov: While it’s pretty clear that the tandem of Vladar and Woll will be the duo to start the season for the Flyers, given their veteran status, this will still be an interesting camp to watch unfold for the two less senior goaltenders rounding out the roster. For Kolosov, as he enters his third full season in North America and within the Flyers’ organizational ladder, he’s working to continue to build up his standing with the management group. He’s worked reasonably well to put all of the drama that marred his rookie season behind him, and he really seemed to buy into sticking largely with the Phantoms last season and just continuing to work on his game down there with their staff. Still, he’s struggled a bit to really establish himself in his limited NHL usage, when he was called upon to slide in as an injury fill-in. There’s still some interesting upside here, but as he enters the final year of his contract, the clock is ticking for him to show a little more and earn himself more runway with this organization, and that clock starts ticking right now.
Carson Bjarnason: And finally, while he’s still a little ways away from pushing for an NHL job, it’s still a big sophomore season on deck for Bjarnason. He was able to start off last season very well, but things tapered off on him in a pretty significant way throughout the second half (some of that being beyond his control, with some personnel changes on the back end leading to a bit more porousness in front of him, but his own steadiness and poise still slipped a bit along with that challenge). Still, it seems that he’s put any negativity from that behind him, and is working well to just take the lessons he can from that stretch and keep it pushing, to continue bettering his game. His play in his lone start of the Rookie Series was a real standout, and he’s gotten himself into a good spot as this next season approaches, and he has a real chance to continue building up that momentum through main camp, even if he isn’t getting into the mix of a more conventional camp battle.
It’s a steep adjustment, going from the WHL to the AHL, but he’s set for another good year of chipping away at it with the Phantoms.
