Dustin Wolf has been re-called to the Calgary Flames for the second time this season after Jacob Markstrom was deemed week-to-week by fracturing his finger during practice. As Markstrom heals up from his injury, which is said to be less serious than it was originally thought to be, the Flames will be running a tandem of Wolf and backup goalie Dan Vladar for the next couple of weeks. Wolf got into Tuesday’s night loss against the Wild as Vladar was pulled, and that should be a sign to give Wolf the reigns until Markstrom is ready to go.
The Flames already know what they have in Vladar
Before we get to Wolf, I want to quickly go over where Vladar stands here. He is not off to the best start this season. His record is fine, but his save percentage and goals against average would tell another story. Outside of the game against the Vegas Golden Knights a week ago, Vladar has not been a reliable option for the team—he has actually been one of the worst goalies in the league this season.
We know the Flames were trying to offload him in the summer, but Craig Conroy and co. didn’t get the return they wanted for him, so instead of selling him for less or waiving him before the season started, the Flames decided Wolf would go back to the Wranglers and they would run the same tandem back for the third straight season. The thing is, at this point in time, Vladar is no longer a prospect or someone that we are expecting to have a breakout season. Goalies can be a whole bag of voodoo from one season to another, so it wouldn’t completely shock me to see Vladar become a reliable starter for a year or two, but the issue is that he takes up $2.2 million on the cap and he is actively blocking Wolf from being with the Flames.
Outside of his first season with the Flames, Vladar has yet to record a save percentage above .900 in a full year. He is a backup goalie and that is about it, and the Flames know it. Sure, it would be great to get Markstrom’s $6 million contract off the books, but the reality is that it is not an option. Vladar is young(ish) and is massive, there is probably a team out there willing to take a chance on him.
Wolf needs NHL minutes
Like I mentioned earlier, this is Wolf’s second call-up this season, and the second time due to Markstrom dealing with an injury. However this time around, it is going to be more than just a few days that Wolf will spend with the team, and that is a good thing. Wolf got his one start earlier in November against the Senators, and while he played well, he took his first career loss, and then Tuesday he came into relief, and once again, played solid in just under two periods of action.
I have talked about it before, but Wolf needs NHL action, he has proved everything that he has had to prove in the AHL, this is the perfect time for him to start getting acclimated to NHL shooters. The Flames have a bunch of games coming up without much rest in between, so giving Wolf a majority of the starts needs to be the priority. There is no reason to try and showcase Vladar for a potential trade—there is time to do that when Markstrom is healthy. Without a logjam in the crease, they should give Wolf some runway here to see what he can do.
Wolf has succeeded at every level he has played at, so there is reason to believe he can do it in the NHL as well. Let’s also not forget here, the fans want this. There was a massive applause when he came into the game Tuesday night. Everyone wants to see Wolf play—it would be extremely distasteful to bring him up for him to sit on the bench for half the games he is for. This is arguably the best goaltending prospect in the entire league, and he has only played two full games thus far, play the kid!
Wolf may force the Flames’ hand to keep him
We have seen it young players many times before, when injuries happen and young players are given a chance, they sometimes take full advantage and force the team to keep them. This very well could be the scenario at hand with Wolf. If the Flames decide to give him most of the starts while Markstrom is out and he crushes it, they may be forced to either trade Vladar or waive him. If Wolf falters a little bit, he can go back down to the Wranglers and play until that spot opens back up and trust me, it will (one way or another).
Either way, it will be great for not only his game but also his confidence. Also won’t be a bad thing to be bringing in an NHL salary either. At the end of the day, it will get Wolf the experience he needs at NHL level, and it will make him happy that he is up and playing. So, keep with the status that it has been this year with Zary, Pospisil, Coronato and so on, play the kids, and do it as much as possible.
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