Suddenly pressed into backup goalie role, Dan Vladar is ready for task that awaits

Last Saturday felt like any other gameday morning for Dan Vladar. 

One of Boston’s backup netminders up in the Toronto bubble, the expectations for Vladar entering Phase 4 play were rather tepid — with the 23-year-old netminder and fellow Providence goalie Max Lagace primarily serving as added insurance behind Boston’s regular goalie duo of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. 

But, as a self-described “sleepy” Vladar made his way down for breakfast at the Bruins’ team hotel, he received one hell of a wake-up call from Don Sweeney. 

“Don Sweeney just told me, 'Hey, you're backing up.' So it was as simple as that,” Vladar said. “And it happened so quick. My reaction was like, 'Okay, fine, I'm backing up. What time is the bus leaving? Within 45 minutes? Okay, I'll be there.'"

With Tuukka Rask opting out of the postseason to be with his family, the primary backup role on this Bruins club now falls to Vladar — one of Boston's top prospects, albeit one with zero games of NHL experience on his resume. For Vladar, who last appeared in an actual game setting back on March 11 with Providence, Saturday's news was certainly unexpected — but one that he plans on taking in stride. 

"Obviously if someone told me like a week ago or 10 days ago that this would happen, I wouldn't believe it," Vladar said. "But obviously everybody on this team respects Tuukka's decision, and right now I'm just trying to work hard every single day and then, if my shot comes, I'm just going to do my best to get a chance and help the team win."

Going through the gauntlet that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a backup with zero games of NHL experience might not be the ideal scenario for Boston, but Vladar has come a long way from the young netminder struggling to carve out a role down at the AHL ranks.



After a so-so showing in his first full campaign with Providence in 2018-19 (.898 save percentage), Vladar's following season began on another ominous note. In his just his third outing of the season, Vladar suffered a high-ankle sprain — sidelining him for over six weeks.

Despite the setback, Vladar made the most of his time off, working with Bruins goalie development coach Mike Dunham to fine-tune his game and eliminate some of the faults that led to inconsistent performances in net. That off-ice work clearly paid dividends.

Upon returning to the ice, Vladar was arguably the top netminder in the AHL down the stretch, leading the league with a goals-against average of 1.79 and save percentage of .936 over 25 appearances.

Speaking earlier this summer, Providence head coach Jay Leach noted that Vladar, even with the early inconsistencies and injuries, was still well within the expected development timeline that Boston mapped out for him when they took him with the 75th pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

"I, for whatever reason, have the number 23-24 in my head, the age," Leach said of how long it takes for young goalies to develop. "A lot of that is Mike Dunham, who is our development goalie coach, he talks a lot about that. And there is a correlation there. And it's not to say it's for everyone. There's (Igor) Shestyorkin who is in New York now. He's 24. And he's a rookie and he was a rookie in our league, but he had played in the Russian league for several years prior to that. 

"The same thing with the guy in Washington, (Ilya) Samsonov ... There's, there's certainly something there. I think goaltending in general is obviously by far the toughest position. Therefore, it's going to take you a little bit longer, most of them, to get to that place. ... We've got Daniel Vladar, who I think is turning 23 and, you know, he's 6-6 and he's just coming into his body. And then at the same time, mentally, to handle the ups and downs really just even in our league, not to mention at the NHL levels, it just takes some time. I don't know if there's an exact science behind it. I will say that the guys that I've seen kind of come up through the ranks, it's taken them some time and they get to 23-24, somewhere around there. You can see they put the time in and they're ready for the next step."

For Vladar, that next step — potentially appearing in a playoff game — is happening far earlier than expected. But even if playing time was far from a guarantee entering Phase 4 play, the uncertainty that comes with the gig as a third-string goalie naturally has you on alert for the worst-case scenario.

"That's just what it is for a third goalie, right? It is the same thing for guys that are taking warmups, like you never know, you always have to be ready," Vladar said. "There are no days off basically for you, because you always gotta think that you are playing, even if you are sitting in the stands. It's just a part of our job. You're always super close, but at the same time you're so far. So I'm just trying to be focused every single day and just try my best that day."

Now, even with his role as backup now solidified following Rask's departure, it's far from a given that Vladar will see game action this postseason. But in a Stanley Cup Playoffs that has already seen an 11-year veteran like Anton Khudobin make his first-ever playoff start — and subsequently lead Dallas to a series victory — anything is possible.

"That's the beauty of hockey, you never know when the first or last shot is gonna come," Vladar said. "So I feel like you just got to enjoy every moment. Every time you step on the ice, it's a gift."