The Philadelphia Flyers added to their goalie depth this summer, signing Dan Vladar to a two-year, $6.7 million contract. However, even with this being the case, the Flyers still have their doubters when it comes to the goaltending position.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Joe Yerdon ranked the Flyers' goalie tandem of Vladar, Samuel Ersson, and Ivan Fedotov 31st in the NHL. With this, the San Jose Sharks' goalie tandem (Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic) was the only one rated worse than the Flyers on Yerdon's list.
Teams ranked just ahead of the Flyers on Yerdon's list were the Pittsburgh Penguins (Tristan Jarry & Arturs Silovs), Chicago Blackhawks (Spencer Knight & Arvid Soderblom), and Seattle Kraken (Joey Daccord & Philipp Grubauer).
Vladar, 28, spent this past season with the Calgary Flames, where he posted a 12-11-6 record, a 2.80 goals-against average, a .898 save percentage, and two shutouts. Overall, he has been a serviceable backup throughout his career and will be looking to provide the Flyers with more stability between the pipes. In 105 career NHL games over five seasons, he has posted a 49-34-16 record, a 2.99 goals-against average, and a .895 save percentage.
Ersson, 25, posted a 22-17-5 record in 47 games with the Flyers last season but also had a .883 save percentage and a 3.14 goals-against average. The 2018 fifth-round pick is entering his fourth season and will be looking to have that big breakout season for the Metropolitan Division club. In 110 games over three seasons, he has recorded a 51-39-12 record, a .888 save percentage, and a 2.98 goals-against average.
As for Fedotov, he is still looking to prove that he can be a solid NHL goaltender. He had a tough first full season with the Flyers in 2024-25, recording a 6-13-4 record, a .880 save percentage, and a 3.15 goals-against average. However, he had success during his days in the KHL, and the Flyers will be hoping that he can translate some of it over to the NHL this season.
It will be interesting to see if the Flyers' goaltending can be better than expected this upcoming season. If they are, it would help the Flyers' chances of being a more competitive team in the Eastern Conference.
Recent Flyers News
Flyers' Jett Luchanko No Longer Guelph Storm Captain: OHL Trade Coming?
Flyers Swap J.R. Avon for Tucker Robertson in Deal with Kraken