The Philadelphia Flyers took a loss to the Boston Bruins in last night’s preseason game, but the bigger concern came partway through the first period when Daniel Vladař left with an upper-body injury.
The sequence wasn’t entirely clear, but the injury appeared to unfold after a puck was sent toward the net. Vladař reached for it, Bruins forward Tanner Jeannot knocked it loose, and the Flyers goaltender immediately dropped his stick and seemed to be favoring his blocker hand before heading off the ice. A few seconds later, Michael Eyssimont scored on a tip-in.
If Vladař has to miss any time, that would be a serious blow for Philadelphia early on. Last season, he was outstanding in his first year with the club, posting a 29-14-7 record in 51 starts with a .906 SV% and 2.42 GAA. That performance earned him Hart and Vezina Trophy votes at the end of the season.
What makes that run even more notable is the workload he carried. Over his six-year career, Vladař had never been asked to handle that much volume, and in his final two seasons with the Calgary Flames, he appeared in only 48 games total. The Flyers rewarded him on his first day of eligibility earlier this summer with a five-year, $27.5MM extension carrying a $5.5MM AAV.
Philadelphia does have a backup plan if the injury lingers. Two days after the Carolina Hurricanes lifted the Stanley Cup, the Flyers acquired Joseph Woll from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a multi-player trade.
Woll, 28, has had an uneven career so far, but he would give the Flyers a stronger safety net than they’ve had in recent seasons. Last year, he went 15-16-7 in 39 games with an .898 SV% and 3.34 GAA.
In Other News...
Flyers Suddenly Face A Goalie Worry They Couldnt Afford
The Flyers goaltending picture took an unwelcome turn in the first period of a preseason game against the Bruins, when Dan Vladar exited with an upper-body injury. It was the kind of scare Philadelphia could not afford this early in camp, especially with Vladar expected to be part of the clubs plans heading into the season and with every look in exhibition games carrying extra weight.
Aleksei Kolosov took over for the rest of the night, but the bigger concern now is what comes next for Vladar and the teams depth chart. Philadelphia will monitor him through training camp before deciding whether he will be ready for the regular-season opener, leaving the Flyers with an uncomfortable wait at a position where stability matters from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers May Have A Michkov Fit Danny Briere Can't Ignore
Kirill Marchenko has become the kind of name that naturally surfaces when a team is looking for more bite up front, and the Flyers fit that description as well as anyone. Philadelphia has been trying to keep pushing its forward group forward, and Marchenkos scoring track record with Columbus makes him an obvious player to monitor as Danny Briere keeps looking for ways to add offense and balance to the roster.
The intrigue only grows because Marchenko has already fueled some of the speculation himself, even if he stopped well short of saying anything definitive about where he might be playing next. Columbus has had its own share of roster uncertainty, and trade rumors around the Blue Jackets have only kept the focus on whether a deal might eventually make sense for both sides. For the Flyers, it is the sort of situation worth watching closely, especially when a player who could help their attack is sitting right in the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Roster Crunch Just Put One Veteran Battle In Focus
The Flyers are in the middle of trimming their roster and, as usual at this stage of camp, the decisions are getting more revealing. Brek Liske and Maksim Sokolovskii were among the prospects sent back to junior hockey earlier, and the club is now trying to preserve flexibility while sorting out which players are ready to stick for the regular season.
A batch of veterans has now been pushed into the waiver process, which underscores how crowded the picture remains as the final spots come into focus. One name in particular stands out because he had been practicing in a more NHL-facing role, and his situation could matter if the Flyers need more room for a younger winger who is not fully set for opening night. [Read more 🡒]