After it was announced that Jacob Markstrom was able to dress in Saturday night’s (Jan. 20) game versus the Edmonton Oilers, I felt like it was only a matter of time before Dustin Wolf was re-assigned to the American Hockey League (AHL). That turned out to be the case, as the Calgary Flames announced the transaction on Sunday morning.
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Wolf’s time with the Flames on this latest call-up was brief, as Markstrom was only forced to sit out for two games after suffering an undisclosed injury. On the season, the 22-year-old phenom has suited up for a career-high five performances with the Flames. While it is an improvement on years past, it is not nearly enough.
Wolf is an NHL-Calibre Goalie
For the third time in as many seasons, Wolf is proving that he is far too good to be playing in the AHL. Through 23 appearances with the Calgary Wranglers this season, he owns a 2.27 goals-against average (GAA) paired with a .929 save percentage (SV%). Somehow, those numbers are actually worse than a season ago, when he had a 2.09 GAA and a .932 SV% in 55 games.
Wolf was recently voted into his third-straight AHL All-Star Game, and is coming off back-to-back goaltender of the year awards. This isn’t a case of a player who it could be debated is ready for the NHL. His case is crystal clear and has been for some time. Still, he remains in the minors, a league that is serving him little purpose at this stage of his career.
While Wolf’s 3.46 GAA and .893 SV% in the NHL this season aren’t very impressive, they are better than that of Dan Vladar, who owns a slightly better 3.27 GAA but a worse .888 SV%. Vladar is certainly a talented goalie, but few, if any, believe that he is better than Wolf.
Though Wolf has not complained about his lack of opportunity, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were becoming frustrated. Players are meant to earn their chances when it comes to the NHL, and everybody in the Flames organization would be lying to themselves if they say he hasn’t done so.
What makes this situation a little scary is that Wolf will need a new contract in place for the 2024-25 season. He will be a restricted free agent (RFA), but as we have seen lately in the NHL, younger players are beginning to get more and more leverage. If his frustration with a lack of playing time boils over, the Flames may have a difficult time getting him to re-sign. Even if they do, expecting him to ink a two-way deal would be extremely naive.
Trade Needs to Take Place
This isn’t a situation that will clear itself up on its own for next season, either. Both Markstrom and Vladar have term left on their contracts. That means that in order for Wolf to get playing time, one of the other two will need to be moved.
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The more logical approach would be moving Vladar. Not only does he have far less term on his contract with a significantly lower salary, but keeping Markstrom to help serve as a mentor to Wolf would be extremely valuable. That said, if there is no trade market for Vladar, moving Markstrom may become necessary, as they simply cannot afford to have Wolf back in the AHL in 2024-25.
Wolf Deserves His Shot
As mentioned, Wolf is more than deserving of having a permanent spot on the Flames roster. This is a player who has continually proved his naysayers wrong at every level throughout his career, and there is little doubt that he will be able to do the same in the NHL. He is undoubtedly the best prospect this organization has had in some time, and they need to ensure they keep him happy. Disgruntling him and potentially losing him due to not giving him an opportunity would be a catastrophe, and general manager Craig Conroy needs to figure out a solution very quickly to prevent that from happening.