Can Dan Vladar handle being a No. 1 goaltender?

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

If nothing else, Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar is direct and to the point. 

It is a hallmark of a significant number of Slavic peoples. Evidence of this, as far as the franchise is concerned, stretches back at least as far as former defenseman and Czechia native Petr Svoboda’s assessment of Buffalo upon his acquisition by Philadelphia in the spring of 1995, as told by long-time backliner Chris Therien.

So when Vladar told an assembled throng of team personnel and media on players’ breakup day, May 12, that he’s intensely ruminating over the final goal of the Flyers’ season – a less-than-classic tally scored by Carolina forward Jackson Blake roughly 5 ½ minutes into overtime of a season-ending Game 4 just 17 days ago – with roughly 60-odd hours between the red light and the interview, you gotta believe him. 

“I probably watched it 150 times, getting more and more mad and it’s still in me,” he admitted. “That’s another fire that’s going to be driving me forward. Goals happen. They happen every single day around the league. For me, (it’s about) that mentality to give myself a better chance to be a better goalie next year.”

When asked what it was like failing to stop the last shot he faced? “Tough.”

Onto the offseason, and there was more compact communication. 

When asked if the undisclosed injury that is definitely in the hand and/or arm area suffered when Penguins winger Bryan Rust strafed him in the first round would affect training over the summer, he offered just five words: “No, I don’t think so.”

When pressed on what, specifically, he could work on this summer, he chose the politician’s route, saying: “We can always get better and obviously there’s gonna be little things that I’m gonna go meet with Dilly (Kim Dillabaugh) our goalie coach here and have a long conversation,” he hedged, but then struck back with this nugget: 

“I’m not sure I’m gonna give you any hints right now but there’s gonna be stuff, for sure.”

One of those things that screams out on video, his occasional ability to lose focus when playing the puck. We all know about the twin gaffes against the Penguins and Hurricanes which cost goals. But this is something that goes back to his days with the Flames:

Asked about a contract extension, as Vladar is an unrestricted free agent in July 2027, heading into the final year of his current 2-year, $6.7M deal: “If you ask the same question to Danny B, I’m gonna be watching, so we’ll see what he says.”

Danny B apparently heard him and, two days later, offered little in the way of truthiness. Nonetheless, it’s still curious that rumors of an extension started wafting about a week after the breakup. As reported by at least one beat, the new contract would be in the range of 3-to-6 years, with a shorter term meaning higher average annual value. And if you believe some internet radio host whose face keeps popping up on my YouTube feed for no good or apparent reason, Vladar has some kind of clue, from somewhere, that the Flyers are interested in retaining his services.

If these feelers are true and not just leaks intended to keep the fanbase attuned after the Flyers were eliminated, Briere is about to fall into the trap of extending based on potential and not reality. As true today as it was when I first mentioned it around 2015; hockey logic and human logic don’t often intersect.

Other than not wanting to negotiate or sign in-season, what’s wrong with waiting until, let’s say, next All-Star break to have more data, statistics and trends from which to make a decision?

Vladar appears to have the internal drive and temperament, as well as an advanced standing in media relations, to be a long-time starter for the Flyers. The (multi) million dollar question is, will Vladar be ready to be a true No. 1?

Vladar made some history this past postseason. He joined Bernie Parent, Pelle Lindbergh, Ron Hextall, Michael Leighton and Carter Hart as the only netminders to record more than one shutout within a playoff series. 

When the day eventually arrives, he will also become the first, among goaltenders to play at least 40 games in any single year, to record at least one postseason clean sheet before doing so in the regular season.

Vladar laid the foundation for that success with a slew of career bests: highs in wins (29), total minutes (2995:13), tying a career high in save percentage (.906), setting a career low in goals against average (2.42). Saves like these, in Columbus in late January – where flexibility and timing are required – aren’t the kind we need to see often, but it’s good to have in the repertoire:

He ended the year having surrendered 3 or fewer goals in 20 of his final 23 starts since a stinker on March 9 at home vs. the Rangers, also racking up a .922 save pct. and 2.18 GAA across 10 playoff starts. Those stats helped, no doubt, by head coach Rick Tocchet’s system of shot suppression, where the 27-year-old faced 25.16 per game in the regular season.

How does Vladar’s workload measure up to other starters over the last decade?

In 2025-26, he played a total of 62 contests: 52 regular season, 10 playoffs.

In 2024-25, Sam Ersson logged the most with 47 games on his ledger.

Two years back, Ersson appeared 51 times, as Carter Hart, the October starter, played 26 games before his release. 

Hart saw action in 55 games in 2022-23.

In 2021-22, Hart appeared 45 times while insurance backup Martin Jones played in 35.

During the COVID year of 2021, Brian Elliott played in 30 of the mandated 56-game slate. 

In Alain Vigneault’s first full season, 2019-20, Hart was called on 43 times.

During 2018-19, 8 goaltenders played at least one game, with Hart logging the most at 31 games and Elliott adding 26.

Dave Hakstol’s last full season behind the bench, 2017-18, Elliott got the nod 43 times.

During Hak’s first two seasons, it was Mason as the clear starter, playing in 54 and 58 games, respectively.

Nobody will touch the Flyers’ all-time record for appearances in one season by a goaltender, set by Parent (73 games over a 78-game schedule, 1973-74). A future starter might never even get close to Parent’s 68 appearances in 1974-75 or Martin Biron's same number in 2007-08.

After that:

65 games - Lindbergh (1984-85)

61 games - Mason (2013-14)

60 games - Dominic Roussel (1993-94)

59 games - Ilya Bryzgalov (2011-12)

When asked about the Flyers’ historical lack of maintaining the presence of a No. 1 goaltender, Vladar said that one of the reasons he chose Philadelphia was the opportunity to play and claim the starter’s role. He’s got the reins now. It’s up to the coaching staff and his own performance. 

While Briere said during his final presser that he’d have to evaluate whether Ersson would be back next year, here are the financials: Ersson’s current deal expired with restricted free-agent status after earning $1.45M last season. Alexei Kolosov was signed in mid-May to a “show us something, please, we’re begging you” 1-year contract at $850K after earning $925K last year into his own RFA season. 

Ersson is a logical choice to be brought back, albeit at a discount. Educated guess, he’d get up to one-third of the work – which would set him up for 25-27 starts and roughly 28-30 appearances. If Ersson is either low-balled or flat-out non tendered, it’s another headache for Briere to have to comb the free-agent market to find a veteran stopgap, because nobody thinks Kolosov is an answer.

That means Vladar would shoulder the burden of 55-57 starts, brushing up against the threshold of the above-mentioned No. 1 guys from the past. Assuming one playoff round, we’re at anywhere from 59-69 appearances if Ersson or another choice falters, it might be more. 

“Obviously I’m not satisfied with (last) season. I want more,” Vladar said. “But at the same time I know we have great team staff around here in Philly and also I trust my guys back home in the summer. I think everybody’s on the same page and it’s going to be a conversation we’re gonna have to get me as ready as possible.”

Remembering Tommy Greene's unlikely 1991 no-hitter

The guy who pitched one of the least likely no-hitters in Phillies franchise history wasn't even supposed to have taken the mound on that Thursday afternoon in Montreal.

Danny Cox, who had appeared twice in the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, was the Phils' No. 2 starter in 1991 (behind Terry Mulholland) and was scheduled to take a turn and win the rubber match of a three-game series. 

Trouble was, Cox had apparently pulled a muscle and couldn't go.

Enter Tommy Greene. 

Greene, clearly the add-on in the August, 1990 deal in which GM Lee Thomas acquired late-career slugger Dale Murphy, had pitched in all of 25 games in the majors until May 23, 1991. He was a swing man for then-Phils manager Jim Fregosi, with his last appearance 6 days prior, in mop-up duty where he picked up the win by tossing the final 4 scoreless innings in a 1-0, 16-inning victory over the Cubs.

Despite being one game below .500, the Phillies were a hurting bunch.

Just over 2 weeks prior, a car accident after a bachelor party for outfielder John Kruk resulted in centerfielder Lenny Dykstra -- who drove while intoxicated and crashed his sports car into a tree in Radnor Township in the early morning hours of May 7 -- suffering a broken collarbone, broken ribs and a broken cheekbone, while starting catcher Darren Daulton sustained a fractured left orbital bone and scratched cornea.

So it was Greene and backup Darren Fletcher the battery at Stade Olympique, opposing Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, who'd pitched alongside Roger Clemens with the Red Sox for 5 seasons

It had been 281 days since Mulholland no-hit the San Francisco Giants and was one throwing error away from pitching a perfect game that instead went in the books as a 6-0 victory and the first Phillies no-no recorded at Veterans Stadium. Greene was on the bench for that one, having been acquired from the Braves just over a week prior. 

As told to MLB.com in 2021, here's Greene's thought process as he took the hill: "Mentally, I told myself I was going to treat this start like I treated my relief appearances. Be aggresstive and go as long and as hard as I can. My thought was 'if I run out of gas, they will put someone else in for me.' Hold nothing back!"

In return, his teammates provided the slimmest of margins for error -- a first-inning RBI triple from Ricky Jordan after Kruk reached with a 2-out double.

Greene did manage to retire 11 in a row at one point, between the 2nd and 5th innings, but had at least 1 runner on base in the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th and 8th frames. Along with his career-best 10 strikeouts, he walked 7 batters, including two in the 2nd and two more in the 6th. 

With three outs to go, Philly's offense came to life for the second and final time, on back-to-back doubles from Von Hayes and Fletcher. 

More Greene: "It wasn't until after the seventh inning that I realized I hadn't given up a hit. When I did that, I immediately thought of the three no-hit bids I had coming up through the minor leagues that I lost with two outs and two strikes in the last inning. I said to myself, 'take one batter at a time.' In the bottom of the ninth, I was facing the meat of their order."

Andres Galarraga was his 10th and final punchout for the first out of the 9th. Larry Walker was retired on a routine ground ball to third. 

Tim Wallach was the final batter, and here's Greene's mindset as revealed in that 2021 piece: "I then told myseld I was going straight after Tim. I wasn't getting two strikes again unless he fouled pitches off. 'Fletch' put down the sign for a fastball. By then, I had thrown probably over 100 fastballs out of my 135 pitches. I agreed with his sign and said to myself, 'stay aggressive,' and threw the fastball on the outer half of the plate. He swung and hit probably the hardest ball all day but it was a one-hopper right back to me."

The highlight package from KYW 3 tells the rest of the story: 

If you remember this game well, you might have been playing sick, or hooky, from either work or school. The final contest in the three-game set against the Expos was a Thursday afternoon first pitch, coming at a time when break time for TV watching at either work or school was reserved for things like the NCAA tournament only when local universities were playing.

After a 4-9 start which cost Nick Leyva his job, long-time major leaguer and former Angels and White Sox skipper Jim Fregosi was called upon from his brief stint in the broadcast booth to bring a desperately needed spark. The 2-0 win brought the Phillies up to the .500 mark for the first (20-20) AND last time all season. 

Despite the eventual returns of Dykstra and Daulton, a lack of depth across the roster began to take its toll and by late July, the Phillies were dead last in the NL East. 

Only a 13-game win streak and solid play over the remainder of the schedule -- even after Dykstra was lost for the back end of the season after breaking his other collarbone colliding with the outfield wall in Cincinnati -- brought their record to 78-84, good enough for 3rd place in a weak division.

Greene finished the 1991 campaign with a 13-7 record, 2 more complete games and a 3.38 ERA over 207.1 innings. He endured a mostly injury-plagued career from there, the lone exception a brilliant 1993 campaign during which he finihsed 16-4 with 7 complete games and 2 shutouts for the National League champions. 

The Phillies would not record another no-hitter until April 27, 2003, at the Vet. Kevin Millwood shut down the Giants, 1-0.

Bump and Martone, Part Deux

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Flyers prospects Alex Bump and Porter Martone, as I mentioned in a previous column from the end of the regular season, are former Division 1 college hockey wingers getting looks as potential long-term NHL roster solutions, although both are on separate but distinct trajectories.

Bump, a 5th-rounder who spent 2 years at Western Michigan before turning pro, and Martone, the No. 6 pick last June who exited after one season in Michigan State, will presumably be given every chance to compete for a roster spot – and two may even be held for them to 

lose – but the burden of expectation and the pressure of success may have a larger influence on their growth than performance alone.

One of the key concepts from both GM Danny Briere and head coach Rick Tocchet that emerged at their respective season-ending conferences last week, was that the young guys who entered the lineup later in the season can go away having a taste of what the playoffs mean. 

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that both Bump and Martone have yet to confront what happens *before* the playoffs, namely the grind of participating in a full 82-game season. 

Judging by that metric, Bump has a serious head start on Martone but hasn’t lapped him yet. The 22-year-old lefty shooter logged 9 total appearances with the Phantoms last spring, then worked through an injury-shortened 36 AHL games this year, before 17 regular-season and 6 postseason starts for the Orange and Black punctuated by intermittent scratches.

“Absolutely. I think it was really good for me, just to get more reps, more puck touches, play more meaningful minutes,” Bump said of his season starting in the minors. “I think that really advanced and progressed my game. I’m super happy with my time down there. Obviously I don’t wanna go back but everyone down there makes (the experience) so fun and enjoyable.”

Bump also has a franchise record in his cap – just the third rookie in team history (Dave Poulin, 1983; Todd Bergen, 1985) to score in both his first NHL regular-season and first NHL playoff game. 

Martone, all of 19, took exactly half of his 10-game regular-season stint after bolting from Sparty  in the wake of a 50-point frosh campaign, to figure out just who he is at the top level of the game. He added a solid 10-game playoff slate. I wrote previously that he needed to figure out how to crack the code by starting with only 1 goal in 5 games, and he proved me wrong with relish. 

“Arriving at MSU back in September, you know it was difficult to be able to crack an NHL roster,” he said. “Looking back and talking to management, it was the best decision I could have made. I just didn’t want to come here and just be a part of (the playoff chase), I wanted to come here and make an impact.”

Here’s where the fork in the road arrives for both: Bump, who had a long runway to get to Philadelphia, is not in demand overseas. He won’t participate in the Worlds for Team USA. Martone, on the other hand, who rocketed through 35 games in college and 20 in the NHL since October, is a wanted man by Team Canada, wants that opportunity and already has a goal to his credit. He goes as far as his country goes.

Which one will be more rested, or at least more ready to tackle training camp in September with a full workload is a fair question. 

The odds right now, as they were in early April, are that Martone, the No. 6 draftee, would receive a greater benefit of the doubt but less leeway to earn a permanent spot, while the 5th-rounder may be scrutinized more after 4 months off but given more time to acclimatize. Both need to end up in the same place: contributing energy and offense every shift.

It’s a great problem to have, as Briere said of both players, whose respective rises were not on the call sheet when decisions were made to acclimatize them to the NHL in the season’s final 20 games. 

“I almost forget these little moments because we get in the playoffs and these guys played such a big role that I forgot they made (the NHL roster) and they hung around,” he admitted on May 14. “Their play kinda dictated that they hung around and played more. It’s not like it was planned that way, but to have them experience that and in such a big role (is great).”

Both Bump and Martone are works in progress, with both players displaying self-awareness in their gameplan to get ready for September’s training camp. They both recognized that speed and strength are skills in need of upgrade, with Bump saying he needs more weight and Martone stating he needs more muscle. They are, perhaps, the two keystones to greater stamina and durability.

"Obviously I’m really close to what I want to accomplish,” Bump said when asked if he still carries a chip on his shoulder as a 5th-round draftee.

With 5 goals on 23 shots (21.7%) in the regular season and 2 goals on 10 SOG (20%) in the playoffs, that's right where Bump needs to be, even if there is no revolutionary change to last year's low-event, high-danger approach. Extrapolated across a full season, that would be roughly 150 shots -- or less than 2 per game, to reach 30 goals.

“I know in my head that I can play in this league but I think there’s a lot more to prove and to show what I can do. I think I can do a lot more than what I’ve showed already.”

That chip can be whittled away by his accomplishments being given equal weight by those in charge of editing hype videos for Flyers prospects. It can also disappear with the right deployment by Rick Tocchet and the remainder of the coaching staff. The hope is, from this vantage point, neither will be subject to the amoeba treatment, shuttled from wing to center.

Bump is a “get-up-and-go” type player, who can take a puck from a scrum, create his own space in stride and shoot wherever there’s an open shot. He’s the ideal player on a power play for what was briefly known as the “Hartnell spot” at the edge of either circle roughly 15 feet from the net. 

Martone is a guy who can throw the body down low, in the corners or along the dashers, collect and distribute; he’s also the Wayne Simmonds-type player to chip the puck off net-mouth scrambles they need at even strength or on the advantage that hasn’t arrived since Wayne Simmonds. After his initial blip, 3 goals on 12 SOG (25%) followed in the regular season, but 2 scores on just 23 SOG (8.7%) in the playoffs begs for better choices and optimal positioning.

Collectively, the Flyers notched 240 regulation-time goals on 2,088 shots, a robust 11.5% overall, with an average of 25.46 SOG per contest. Including Bump and Martone on regular shifts would be key to reversing this trend.

Forget any teasers of tragedy in competition. There is no animus between the players, because they’re all part of the same group that will be relied on to take the club to the next level for the next year or two.

“It’s nice to go through it with someone else, like Barks (Denver Barkey) and Marty (Porter Martone). It’s nice to have younger guys around,” Bump added. “We’re with each other every day. You always have someone around to talk to about anything.”

Martone’s confidence already burst through amidst a baptism of fire, it’s up to all involved to build on the foundation. Bump’s foundation laid, his confidence will surely come with greater reliance and steadier work.

At an impressionable age, the only way to find out is by doing. If Martone wears down during the upcoming full-season grind and if Bump takes a while to get up to speed, it’s a very expensive lesson to learn. If both players arrive at the same point despite different offseasons, the rest of the league would pay the price.