The Philadelphia Flyers are set to agree on a major $27.5 million goalie contract ahead of the upcoming 2026-27 season, per hockey analyst Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. But, at the same time, he also revealed that the official announcement of the contract extension has been delayed.

In a post on his official X account, LeBrun stated that the Flyers are going to extend goaltender Dan Vladar’s stay for five years with a $5.5 million average annual value (AAV) deal. However, fans will have to wait a few days.

“Still some final touches needed, and it can’t be announced officially until July 1, but Flyers and Dan Vladar closing in on five-year extension which will carry $5.5M AAV,” he wrote on X.

Notably, Vladar is currently on a two-year, $6.70 million contract signed as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1, 2025, with an $3.35 million AAV. It commenced on the same day at the start of the 2025-26 season, and will continue till the end of the upcoming 2026-27 season.

But the Flyers are already working on a contract extension to apparently lock Vladar in early and ensure that he doesn’t become a UFA after the end of the upcoming season. They are willing to give him a big annual salary raise from $3.35 million to $5.5 million to that effect, which will commence at the start of the 2027-28 season.

Although, as LeBrun suggested, the official announcement can’t happen until July 1 because it’s when Vladar and players like him get pending UFA status and become eligible to sign a contract extension.

These pending UFAs can actually wait until the trade deadline during the second half of the season or even beyond, to extend if they aren’t quite convinced earlier.

In regard to Vladar, his value has increased substantially in the eyes of the Flyers front office after a stellar 2025-26 season, which is why they aren’t waiting for this eventuality.

Why is goalie Dan Vladar set for a contract extension early with the Philadelphia Flyers?

Vladar, the 28-year-old Czech goaltender, performed exceptionally well for the Philadelphia Flyers in the recently concluded 2025-26 season. He played 52 regular-season games for a 29-14-7 record with a .906 save percentage and 2.42 goals-against average.

It was an important contribution for the Flyers to earn a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out on the last five seasons. They had finished in third place in the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference with a 43-27-12 record for 98 points.

In his 10 playoff appearances, Vladar improved further individually, posting a .922 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average despite the 4-6-0 record, according to NHL.com. The Flyers beat their state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in six games in the first round of the playoffs, before the eventual champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, swept them in the second round.

With that, Daniel Briere, the Flyers GM and his front office, would have felt that Vladar can improve further in goal for them in the upcoming seasons. It can be considered a reason as to why he is set for a contract extension early in the new 2026-27 season at the start of next month.

Will Dan Vladar become a driving force in the Philadelphia Flyers’ quest to be a consistent Stanley Cup Playoff team in the coming seasons? Tell us your views in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar