The Philadelphia Flyers are heavily in the playoff mix entering December. Not a lot of hockey fans expected that, considering the talent pool of teams in the Metropolitan Division. But as of the morning of Dec. 1, the Flyers hold the No. 1 Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

A lot of credit can be given to the Flyers seemingly, finally, having their starting goalie. That is Dan Vladar. At the time of the signing, Flyers fans were probably not necessarily excited about the move. But that perception could change if he were to play well for the Flyers. That’s exactly what happened.

Entering Dec. 1, Vladar had a 10-4-1 record, a .912 save percentage, and a 2.43 goals allowed average through 15 games. Flyers fans couldn’t ask for anything more. That was before an off-night for Vladar, as he surrendered five goals on 27 shots in a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The signing of Vladar has received praise in the hockey world. The latest to do so is Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, who called the signing one of the best of the offseason in the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast.

Elliotte Friedman praises Flyers’ signing of Dan Vladar

“Every year we always talk about who are the big acquisitions in the offseason. Vladar has been one of the best moves of the summer, Philly’s signing of him,” said Friedman. “He has been great for them. Everybody talks about Zegras and it makes sense, he’s been really good for them. But Vladar has been one of the shrewdest, smartest moves of the offseason.”

It’s hard to argue with what Friedman said. NHL fans know how difficult it is to find a goaltender when you need one. If your team doesn’t have a name like Connor Hellebuyck, Igor Shesterkin, or Andrei Vasilevskiy, they are in trouble. Just as the Edmonton Oilers that. Given that the goalie market last season wasn’t exactly flooded with talent, the Flyers had to do their homework to ensure they got the right player. They set their focus on Vladar, who had been a backup goalie on the Calgary Flames.

The Flames have their goaltender in Dustin Wolf. Vladar was his backup last season. Vladar didn’t put up the best numbers, as he posted a .898 save percentage, a 2.80 goals allowed average, and a 12-11-6 record in 30 games (29 starts). In his four years in Calgary, Vladar recorded a .895 save percentage, a 2.97 goals allowed average, and a 47-32-15 record through 100 games (90 starts).

Friedman’s co-host on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Kyle Bukauskas, gave credit to the Flyers’ pro scouting to hit on Vladar despite his underwhelming numbers with the Flames.

“You look at his numbers on the surface last year in Calgary, not overly sparking, but you remember much of last season, like they did a lot of work in protecting Dustin Wolf when he started and all of that,” said Bukauskas. “So Vladar got a lot of the second half of back-to-back [games], a lot of the less than ideal dates on the schedule, and had to try to keep himself above water there.

“And a bit of a different situation, of course, now in Philadelphia. Obviously the travel is different in Philly compared to a place like Calgary, and couple that with, as you say, how Tocchet has got them playing, it’s a really nice marriage here so far. Really nice.”

The Flyers did the necessary studying to make sure Vladar was worth signing to a two-year, $6.7 million contract. Thus far, the contract looks like a bargain. If the team brings in some more scoring, his job on a night-in, night-out basis would be a lot easier. But, so far, so good for the Flyers.