This summer, Jason Newland and I will continue our series looking at potential free agent targets who could be available on July 1.
Target: Dan Vladar – G – 5 Years Experience
Dan Vladar is exactly what you’d expect out of a backup goalie. He can play in around 30 games a season and put up a respectable record, but he’s not someone you should count on as a starter. He can step in if the starting goalie gets hurt, but he’s never played more than 30 games in a season.
He would be a solid fit for a team like the Calgary Flames, who already have a young, promising goalie as their starter. There hasn’t been any news about his future in Calgary, but if he hits the market, he could land somewhere as a dependable backup behind a younger starter.
Stats
This season Vladar played in 30 games with the Flames and had a record of 12-11-6 with a .898 save percentage and a 2.80 goals against average. Over his career, he has played in 105 games and has a 49-34-16 record with a .895 SV% and a 2.99 GAA.
Previous Salary
Vladar is in the final year of a two-year deal that carries an AAV of $2.2 million. Contract experts project that he’ll likely sign a one-year deal with an AAV around $1.5 million.
Realistic Chances of a Signing: Cold
As mentioned before, Vladar could be a good, reliable backup for a team like Calgary or even the San Jose Sharks. But the Columbus Blue Jackets don’t really fall into that category. It would be a noticeable downgrade if GM Don Waddell decided to move on from Elvis Merzlikins and roll with Jet Greaves as the starter, just to bring in Vladar as the backup.
Yes, Greaves is a great young goalie, but Merzlikins is still a better goalie than Vladar. It just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Blue Jackets to go that route. Unless they keep Merzlikins and don’t promote Greaves from the AHL—and sign Vladar to be the backup. But after the way Greaves played last season, it feels like he needs to be in the NHL next year.
So overall, it’s hard to see Columbus being a realistic landing spot.
