The Calgary Flames have been lucky with their goaltending this season. After many expected the team to struggle between the pipes, the exact opposite occurred.
Dustin Wolf has been the story of the season with how strong his rookie campaign has gone so far, but Dan Vladar has also had his share of success. With Vladar being a pending UFA, questions have emerged on whether or not the Flames should bring him back next season to continue complementing Wolf in net.
Sportsnet’s Eric Francis recently released a piece about his views on the Flames extending Dan Vladar and how he believes it’s the right move to make. I however disagree, and in this article, I’ll share my thoughts on why the Flames should move on from Vladar’s services.
The Flames need to fully pass the torch to Wolf
The Flames have been operating under a system this season where they’ve been alternating starts between Vladar and Wolf. The team hasn’t solidified a clear-cut number-one starter, and I think that needs to change.
The Flames have looked to their goaltending a bunch of times to get wins this season. Pair that with their anemic offence, and you have a scenario where goaltenders are going to be quite busy. Wolf has been handling the work he’s been given so far quite well, and he’s been a major reason why this team is currently in a wildcard spot when they were expected to be among the bottom feeders.
It’s time for the Flames to fully have confidence in Wolf being the starter for this team. While Wolf is only 23, he’s proven that his size hasn’t been a disadvantage and that his skill set is elite. His stats also are better than Vladar’s, so the numbers don’t lie. Wolf is the future in net for Calgary, and it’s time for his development to take another step.
Vladar’s role with the Flames is easily replaceable
Throughout Vladar’s time in Calgary, he has shown that his ceiling as an NHLer is a backup goalie. Therefore, it makes his role easily replaceable as finding a backup via free agency for example is quite easy.
His role on the Flames might be as a fringe starter, but on a contender, he’s a backup. Keeping Vladar next season would mean that the team still doesn’t see Wolf as a suitable starter yet, and it may take a hit at his confidence. Besides, would Vladar want to sign in Calgary with the idea that he would be a backup? Or does he see more for himself going through the free agency route?
Devin Cooley is dominating the minors
Adding on to my points above, the Flames also signed goaltender Devin Cooley to a two-year contract last offseason. This year he’s under a two-way deal, but next season the contract will convert into one-way.
The Flames wouldn’t have structured the contract that way if they didn’t think Cooley would get some NHL action. This season with the Wranglers, the 27-year-old has dominated as the team’s starting netminder, recording 16 wins and a 0.939 save percentage in 22 games.
While Cooley’s NHL experience is limited, his time with the Wranglers has no doubt been impressive. Therefore, it would make more sense if the Flames brought him up as the team’s backup behind Wolf next season instead of competing with Vladar for that spot.
Final thoughts
This is by no means an insult to Vladar or anything like that. Vladar has been a great Flame and has had many great moments here. However, tough decisions are part of the business and Vladar’s future is surely going to be one of those.
If the Flames can get an asset for Vladar at the trade deadline then great, otherwise the team wouldn’t be losing much by letting him test free agency. If anything, it would give the chance for Wolf to fully be in the driver’s seat, which is only going to help his confidence grow. Does it make sense for the Flames to invest money into a player who is in direct competition with Wolf’s role? I don’t think so. Instead, giving NHL reps to a player like Cooley makes much more sense as the Flames are still in a rebuild.
