In a span of 14 months, the Flyers goaltending situation went from one of grave concern to one that looks to be one of the brightest (and best) areas for the club. The three goaltenders the Flyers had concluding 2024-25 are not here: Aleksei Kolosov remains in Lehigh Valley, Sam Ersson is in Ottawa, and Ivan Fedotov is back playing in Russia. Now, Dan Vladar is looking like a possible keeper between the pipes after a stellar first year with Philadelphia. And Flyers general manager Danny Briere was able to land a credible backup (tandem goalie?) in Joseph Woll.
Goaltending is one of the most crucial but unpredictable positions in sports. But have the Flyers finally got a grasp on the position after years of misery? And will that stellar play from Vladar carry into 2026-27? We take a look.
Dan Vladar
What did we see from Vladar last season?
What didn’t we see should be the question! Vladar was seen at the time of his signing to a two-year contract as, at best, some average stopgap for Philadelphia while they waited for youngsters like Carson Bjarnason and/or Yegor Zavragin to take the jump. It was thought he would possibly keep the team afloat for large sections of the season, but there would be hiccups or slumps at some point during the 2025-26 season. However, nobody told Vladar that he would be mediocre or average. He started strong, never really had any slump at all, and — outside of a two-week stretch lost due to injury — was easily the team’s most valuable player.
Setting career highs in games played, starts, wins, saves, goals-against average, and tying his .906 save percentage in 23 games with Calgary back in 2021-22, Vladar came up huge time and time again. He was clutch when the Flyers needed him to be down the stretch. He was also solid (outside of a slight hiccup or two) in the opening round against Pittsburgh before running into an unstoppable Cup-chasing Carolina club. He was sensational, so much so that Flyers general manager Danny Briere pulled the trigger on a five-year contract extension (with a $5.5 million Average Annual Value) this summer versus possibly paying far more next summer. In short, Vladar was almost too good to be true. But he was.
What type of role do we expect Vladar to play this season?
With a defensive structure that seemed to fit Vladar perfectly in his first year as a Flyer, not a whole lot is expected to change on that side of the puck. Vladar enters this season like a lot of other Flyer players. He had a better-than-expected season, surprised a lot of people, got a taste of the playoffs, but should be hungry for more.
What makes this season much more of a test for Vladar is that he’s hoping to if not exceed or match 2025-26, then at least be relatively find himself in that ballpark. If Vladar falls off a proverbial cliff, or his confidence begins to wane, then the Flyers have a much tougher road to travel regarding the playoffs. Of course, the other aspect is that Vladar (or anyone else) knows if he can put what he did last year together again in a subsequent year. He took the opportunity and ran with it. Can he run with it again?
If anything, Vladar shouldn’t be asked to carry most of the load for Philadelphia in goal this season. Although Sam Ersson won some games last year, his starts were always an adventure, and never for the right reason. With Briere hoping to have that issue resolved with an acquisition this summer, the goal would be to lessen Vladar’s workload a little more. That way he could be much fresher down the stretch and, with any luck, in the team’s return engagement to the playoffs in April.
A lot rides on Dan Vladar this year. Here’s hoping his outlook and approach mirrors that of last year.
Joseph Woll
What did we see from Woll last season?
Well, Woll wasn’t here last year. That’s not a newsflash. He spent 2025-26 with Toronto, who were not a very good team. Woll went 15-16-7, with a 3.34 goals-against average, and a .899 save percentage. He didn’t play a game in October due to personal matters. His first two months of playing weren’t too bad, as he posted a .919 save percentage in November, and a .926 save percentage in December. However, things went rather downhill from there. In January, after allowing just four or more goals in two games over November and December, Woll gave up four or more goals on five occasions to start 2026.
From March onward, things didn’t get much better, as Toronto simply played out the string, looking like they were playing more for lottery balls than anything else. Woll gave up four or more seven times from the beginning of March to season’s end. His final three starts with the Leafs saw Toronto score eight times with Woll between the pipes, but gave up 17 in return. With the goaltending carousel in Toronto resulting in Woll being the odd man out, he was shipped along with Simon Benoit to Philadelphia with Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae and goalie Sam Ersson heading north of the border.
Woll, who has had good stretches of strong goaltending, is hoping a new club and a new defensive-oriented structure can turn his game around. Philadelphia believes he is the backup or tandem netminder that Dan Vladar was missing most of last season.
What type of role do we expect Woll to play this season?
Barring an injury to Vladar (or some level of poor play that should concern everyone), it would be safe to assume that Woll is going to be wearing a Flyers baseball cap on the bench for more than half of the season. It’s probably safe to assume Philadelphia doesn’t want to give Vladar the same almost exhaustive workload he had down the stretch and into the playoffs last season. Putting too much wear and tear on him early could have negative effects when he’s needed most.
As a result, Woll is going to be called on probably at least 35 to 38 times a season. Of course he’ll be used in back-to-back situations. Or will also give Vladar a rest or breather should Philadelphia have a three-in-four or four-in-six workload staring them in the face. Should Woll provide more competent goaltending than Ersson offered last year, then the signing will be a great win right off the bat. He doesn’t have to one-up Vladar (although that would be a bonus). He just has to provide a consistency and effectiveness that Ersson often found hard to maintain.
If Woll can give Philadelphia a boost in that role, and find himself flourishing under a rather goaltender-friendly defensive structure Rick Tocchet has implemented, then Woll and Vladar will be one of the better tandems in the Metropolitan Division, if not the Eastern Conference.
