For the first time in three seasons, the Philadelphia Flyers had a goaltender other than Samuel Ersson start the bulk of the games. That honor went to Dan Vladar, who saw an opportunity with the Flyers and grabbed the bull by the horns in the 2025-26 season.

Vladar was inarguably the Flyers’ most valuable player this season. He started 51 games, going 29-14-7 with a .906 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average. The Czech goaltender was a rock between the pipes, even though he may have gone into training camp in a battle with Ersson for the starting job.

Ersson was then relegated to the backup role, which is what his ideal fit probably is in the NHL. Sure, he may be able to be a starter for some teams, but he’s shown over the past three seasons that he’s not a No. 1 goalie, or even one that can be a part of a solid tandem — at least not yet.

Now, that can always change, but Ersson’s future in Philadelphia is up in the air after his worst season in the NHL.

Ersson put up an. 888 SV% and 2.98 GAA through his first three years in the NHL. He showed flashes at times, but he was largely an average-at-best netminder between the pipes for the Flyers. It didn’t help that the Flyers were rebuilding and the defense was in shambles.

The Swedish netminder entered this season as the incumbent starter before losing that job to Vladar, who outplayed him in the preseason and continued to do so in the regular season.

Sam Ersson explains post-break turnaround

Ersson’s season was really a tale of two halves. Prior to the Olympic break, he was 8-10-5 with an .856 SV% and 3.51 GAA. After the break, he locked in with a 6-1-0 record, .912 SV%, and 1.99 GAA.

“I think there were definitely ups and downs. A tough start to the year, but after the break, I kind of found my game, and it was key timing to that,” Ersson said on break up day. “So that was good, helping the team making that push for the playoffs.”

If Ersson didn’t lock in after the break, the Flyers may have come up short in their push for the playoffs. But he was able to use the break as a chance to turn the page on the first half of the season.

“I saw it as a new chapter, a new door opening here. Leave the stuff behind me and take the challenge as it comes,” he said. “I told myself during that break, ‘Screw what happened. I’m going to go on a run here.’ So that was big and at a key time, too.”

Ersson shared that he took every game as a new chance to prove himself and not dwell on things. The support from his teammates helped with that, as did the team making a push for the playoffs.

Flyers still evaluating Ersson’s future in Philadelphia

While he doesn’t have a contract for next season, Ersson would welcome a return to the Flyers.

“Obviously, I love it here. I’ve been here my whole North American career. This is where I want to be,” he said. “Hopefully, we can make something happen. Those questions, I’ve always let my agents do their work.”

Ersson’s strong finish to the season may have bought him another year or two in Philadelphia. After looking like he deserved to be traded or waived during his January rut, he was one of the best goalies in the league in the final month of the season.

Ultimately, though, the decision is a two-way street. Danny Briere spoke about the goalie situation during his exit interview on Thursday morning.

“With Sam we have to evaluate, and look it was a tough start for Sam. But we also have to give him credit. The way he stuck with it. The way he found a way to bounce back to win some really big games down the road to get into the playoffs, that was impressive. That wasn’t easy.

“Sam, first of all, he’s a great teammate. The guys love him, he’s been here for a while. We’ve invested a lot of years in him. We want to sit down and discuss. He was a big part of this team this year and we’ll see where it leads.”

The Flyers have Vladar signed through the end of next season at a $3.35 million cap hit, with Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov as RFAs. Carson Bjarnason is also under contract on his entry-level deal, but he’s still a year or two away from being ready to make the jump to the NHL. Then there is top prospect Yegor Zavragin, who is one of the best young goalies in the KHL. He could very well be the Flyers’ goalie of the future, but his timeline remains unclear.