The Philadelphia Flyers, who haven’t been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2020, are banking on the most recent moves from general manager Daniel Briere that their drought could soon come to an end.
The Flyers have re-signed a handful of their current players, including Noah Cates and Cam York. Moreover, they acquired Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Geese in a trade while also signing goaltender Dan Vladar from the Calgary Flames and Christian Dvorak from the Montreal Canadiens.
Vladar agreed to a two-year contract with a $3.35 million cap hit, while Dvorak signed a one-year pact price $5.4 million. How are these players going to affect the Flyers moving forward, and might they assist the franchise return to the playoffs?
Could Dan Vladar finally be the Flyers’ solution in net?
In response to Briere, Vladar jumped at the prospect to don the Flyers jersey and to compete with the franchise that has long been looking for a bona fide No. 1 goaltender for the reason that days of Ron Hextall.
“Dan Vladar told us very early on that he saw a possibility,” Briere explained via NHL.com from the team practice facility situated in Voorhees, Recent Jersey. “He desired to are available in and compete in Philadelphia, so we jumped on it.”
“He has a likelihood to turn into our No. 1,” Briere said. “Depending on how he plays, how our other guys play…The one thing, at the tip of the yr after I met with our group of goalies, I told them, ‘You’ve got to be ready at training camp.’
“I said, ‘We’re probably gonna exit. This wasn’t adequate last season. We’re probably gonna exit and convey in some reinforcements, and also you’re gonna be in a battle, all of you guys.’
Vladar, who was a draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2015, began his profession with the franchise but would later be traded to the Calgary Flames, where he was a backup to starter Jacob Markstrom.
He would eventually struggled with consistency despite a robust 13-6-2 record in his first season in Calgary, and upon the departure of Markstrom last offseason to the Recent Jersey Devils, Vladar wasn’t capable of seize the starting reins from Dustin Wolf, who emerged as the brand new starter with the Flames.
This doesn’t suggest that Vladar cannot achieve success together with his change of scenery, having relocated from Calgary to Philadelphia. At 27 years old, Vladar remains to be within the prime of his profession and will easily bounce back under the system of recent Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet.
He’ll form a tandem with Samuel Ersson, who needed someone to routinely compete with for starting time heading into his contract season.
“It looks that way,” Briere said of a goalie competition between Vladar and Ersson. “The way in which they’ve played the last couple years, it’s probably Ersson/Vladar, but what number of teams go together with only two goalies? Not too lots of them. You wish three, 4 goalies.
“My message to them is, it doesn’t matter where you fit in immediately. Are available in, be ready, and when it is your turn, you have got to perform. I hope we are able to create that environment that each single night they’re battling for his or her spot. We will need at the least three goalies, possibly more. We all know that, and I feel Vladar helps us put us in a greater position.”
Moreover, Vladar is signed for 2 years. Because of this if things were to ultimately go awry for him with the Flyers, they don’t seem to be locked right into a long-term commitment with him.
Overall Grade: B
Christian Dvorak gives the Flyers priceless depth up front
The Flyers picked up priceless center depth once they signed Dvorak from the Canadiens, a position that they’re lacking in.
“I’m enthusiastic about him,” Briere said of Dvorak. “I feel one among the enticing parts for him is the opportunities that he will have. It’s no secret that we’re pretty thin in the center. (Sean) Couturier and (Noah) Cates really are the one two, obviously.
“We hope that Zegras can play center as well, but there’s opportunities there for him, probably greater than he would have seen elsewhere. I feel that, that was probably very enticing for him. So to get an enormous body like that, that may play a 200-foot game, win faceoffs for us. I feel he makes us a greater team, having him down the center.”
He appeared in all 82 regular-season games for the Canadiens this past season, scoring 12 goals while adding 21 assists. He’s appeared in 534 profession NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes and Canadiens and has scored 105 goals with 144 assists. He’s also added 4 goals and an assist in 14 postseason games.
While Dvorak is not a savior or elite player by any means, he fills a direct need for the Flyers and will earn an extended, more lucrative contract in the longer term if he impresses in his first season with the club.
Overall Grade: B