VOORHEES, N.J. – The season is only half over but this much we already know:
When April rolls around, Dan Vladar is odds-on favorite to win the Bobby Clarke Trophy for Flyers’ MVP.
His performances to date have been nothing short of astounding. He already has a career high for wins (16) and he’s a big reason why both general manager Daniel Briere and coach Rick Tocchet like what they’ve seen of the overall product on the ice.
To no one’s surprise, Vladar was named to Team Czechia’s roster as one of three goaltenders for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy.
It wouldn’t be a shocker either if he led the Flyers back to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
After Wednesday’s optional practice at the Flyers Training Center, the modest Vladar said he owes much of his success to the players in front of him.
Yet there have been nights when the team has not played all that well and Vladar has “stolen” a win here and there.
“It’s not just me,” he insisted. “The whole team, since day one, we’re really trying to build something special here. We know there are still a lot of games ahead of us. We are not too high, I’m pretty sure of that. Still trying to be humble.
“We are doing everything we can and if we keep doing that, we know we’re going to be in a good spot.”
Vladar has already played 25 of the first 41 games, so there’s always the question of possible burnout. Especially when Vladar’s backup, Sam Ersson, has not played all that well. His .868 save percentage is among the lowest in the league.
“Get lots of sleep, nutrition,” Vladar said. “We have a lot of good people around the team who know what they are doing. For me, it’s just keeping my ears open. Take advantage of the facility here.”
As for the Olympics, Vladar referenced the 1998 Games at Nagano, Japan. It was the first time NHL professional athletes were allowed to take part in the competition and the Czech Republic, though not the odds-on favorite, came away with its first and only gold medal.
“It (making the roster) means a lot,” Vladar said. “Especially growing up in a hockey country like Czech is. You know, the Olympics in 1998 in Nagano, the Czech team won. Lots of memories, saw lots of highlights from that.
“So obviously another dream come true for me. I’m really proud that I’m going to be able to go and be part of the group.”
Vladar knew there was a good chance he would be picked for the team since most projections had him on the Czechia roster as far back as last summer.
“It was in the back of my head,” he said. “The (NHL) season is still 82 games but in a shortened time. So you don’t have much time to think about what’s going to happen in two, three months.”
>Updates on Brink, Drysdale
Both Jamie Drysdale and Bobby Brink, injured in the Anaheim game, did not take part in Wednesday’s practice.
“I talked to them a little bit,” Tocchet said. “They’re still getting evaluated. I don’t want to say they’re day-to-day because I don’t know yet. They were in a half-decent mood.”
If Drysdale is unavailable for the Toronto game on Thursday, Noah Juulsen is the likely replacement and Lehigh Valley’s Ty Murchison might be called up to be a spare.
>Michkov practices
Matvei Michkov, who sat out Tuesday night’s win over Anaheim after taking a shot off his left foot in Saturday’s game at Edmonton, practiced on Wednesday. Tocchet said he should be ready to go for the Toronto game. If Michkov is ready and Brink isn’t, there shouldn’t be the need for a call-up from the Phantoms.
>Compressed schedule demands
With the NHL schedule compressed because of the Olympics, there’s a chance you’re going to see more of these optional practices as the Games approach next month.
“We’ve got a bunch of games the next two weeks,” Tocchet said. “It’s a bit of a sprint here before the Olympics so we still have to manage it. Using your bench, rotating some guys in and out. Sometimes there are freak injuries.”
If there’s any fatigue on the Flyers’ roster, it hasn’t shown up so far.
“The (Travis) Sanheims, the (Noah) Cates, they’re less likely to get injured,” Tocchet pointed out.
>First half assessment
GM Daniel Briere said on Tuesday night the Flyers exceeded expectations in the first half. Tocchet was pretty much in line with that evaluation.
“When I took the job, I know what the task at hand was,” Tocchet said. “You want to win hockey games. But it’s more: ‘What kind of player can Jamie Drysdale be? Or a (Cam) York? Can Trevor Zegras rebirth himself?
“That was kind of the job. . .you want to win but there are also situations where you want to let people play. I’m a big culture guy and that was big for me at the start. You’re not going to win if you don’t have it.”
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