Dan Vladar picked up a second Flyers honor on Thursday, winning the Yannick Dupre class guy award after practice as Philadelphia prepared for a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The award, selected by the local chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, goes to the player who best shows character, dignity and respect on and off the ice.
He also was announced Tuesday as the Bobby Clarke Trophy winner as the Flyers’ team MVP for the 2025-26 season, a run of recognition that reflects how fast he has become central to the club. Vladar signed a two-year, $6.7 million contract on July 1 and said Thursday that he feels as if he has been with the team longer than seven or eight months because of how quickly he settled in. He said the Flyers welcomed him from Day 1 and that he could be himself on or off the ice.
That comfort has come with results. Vladar started each of the Flyers’ final six meaningful games in an 11-day span, going 5-1-0 with a.921 save percentage and a 1.81 goals-against average. Among goalies who played at least 40 games, his 2.42 goals-against average ranked third in the NHL, while his.906 save percentage was ninth. The late surge helped drive what was described as an unlikely playoff berth and has pushed him into outside award discussion, including Hart Trophy votes and Vezina Trophy finalist consideration.
Wayne Gretzky added to the attention Wednesday night during the TNT broadcast, calling the goaltender in Philadelphia his real dark horse for the Hart Trophy and saying to look at the year Vladar had and where the Flyers are in the playoffs. The praise only sharpened the spotlight on a 28-year-old who arrived with modest expectations but now sits at the center of the team’s postseason hopes.
The wrinkle is that Saturday night in Pittsburgh will be Vladar’s first career playoff start. His only postseason experience is one relief appearance for the Boston Bruins in 2020 and another for Calgary two years later, and when asked Thursday whether the growing attention had changed his focus, he answered simply, no. For him, Game No. 1 against the Penguins is all that matters now, and the Flyers are asking a goalie who spent most of the year building trust to carry that into the biggest night of the season.
