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.<\/p>\n
Vladar was inarguably the Flyers\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s shown over the past three seasons that he\u2019s not a No. 1 goalie, or even one that can be a part of a solid tandem \u2014 at least not yet.<\/p>\n
Now, that can always change, but Ersson\u2019s future in Philadelphia is up in the air after his worst season in the NHL.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t help that the Flyers were rebuilding and the defense was in shambles.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Sam Ersson explains post-break turnaround<\/p>\n
Ersson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d Ersson said<\/a> on break up day. \u201cSo that was good, helping the team making that push for the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n If Ersson didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw it as a new chapter, a new door opening here. Leave the stuff behind me and take the challenge as it comes,\u201d he said. \u201cI told myself during that break, \u2018Screw what happened. I\u2019m going to go on a run here.\u2019 So that was big and at a key time, too.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Flyers still evaluating Ersson\u2019s future in Philadelphia<\/p>\n While he doesn\u2019t have a contract for next season, Ersson would welcome a return to the Flyers.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, I love it here. I\u2019ve been here my whole North American career. This is where I want to be,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully, we can make something happen. Those questions, I\u2019ve always let my agents do their work.\u201d<\/p>\n Ersson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n