Stop me if you've heard this before with the Boston Bruins and Don Sweeney. The Bruins have a prospect goalie who gets buried in the organization and then goes on to have success somewhere else when the Bruins give up on them.
That doesn't happen a lot, does it? Yes, it does.
The latest to find success after being buried in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins, Boston let prospect Brandon Bussi walk in free agency last summer. He ended up signing with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, but he was placed on waivers at the end of training camp. He was claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes, and the rest, they say, is history.
Former Bruins goalie Dan Vladar strikes gold with Flyers
Sweeney traded Dan Vladar to the Calgary Flames for a third-round 2022 Entry Draft pick in late July of 2021. He played in five games for Boston, but was dealt. After four years with the Flames, he signed as a free agent last July with the Philadelphia Flyers for two years with an AAV of $3.35 million.
What a signing that turned into. In 52 games, the third-round pick in the 2015 Entry Draft by the Bruins went 29-14-7 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. Stunningly, he didn't have a shutout. He played better in the postseason.
In 10 games for Philadelphia against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hurricanes, Vladar went 4-6 with a 2.18 GAA and a .922 with two shutouts. All of the regular-season and postseason work got him a long-term extension.
Kevin Weekes of ESPN reported on Sunday night that Vladar and the Flyers were closing in on a five-year extension that carries an AAV of $5 million. That is quite the extension for someone who struggled to make the big club in Boston and went through some lean years with Calgary. However, it's the latest in a long line of Bruins prospects who leave Boston and find success with another organization under Sweeney. Food for thought.
