Since trading Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils in late June, Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy has been pretty quiet. Many thought this would be an awfully busy summer for Calgary, which has several players entering the final year of their respective contracts. As we approach mid-August, however, things have remained rather quiet.
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While players such as Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, and Noah Hanifin have made up the majority of trade rumours, there is another interesting decision brewing in net. Both Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar are still on the books, which makes things extremely interesting given that back-to-back American Hockey League (AHL) goaltender of the year Dustin Wolf appears to be NHL-ready.
Vladar Makes the Most Sense to Move
If the Flames are to move a goalie ahead of training camp, Vladar is the most likely. The 25-year-old has shown glimpses of brilliance and is set to enter the first year of a two-year contract which carries a reasonable $2.2 million cap hit. That is a very fair deal for a backup, and if you add in the fact that he still has plenty of untapped potential, there could be a number of teams who have interest in him.
The risk with moving Vladar is that he appears to be a real talent, but hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show it yet. With Darryl Sutter as his head coach over the past two seasons, Vladar has gotten little work as Sutter is known for riding his starters. Since joining the Flames ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, he has appeared in just 50 games.
Why that is such a concern is that the Flames likely wouldn’t get a ton back if they chose to move him. That could come back to haunt many, including Conroy, as Vladar does have the size and skill to become a number-one goalie at the NHL level if he can figure out how to be more consistent.
Markstrom a Major Risk to Trade
Earlier in the offseason, there seemed to be some real chatter developing that the Flames may move Markstrom. Many fans seemed to be okay with it, given that the 33-year-old had a miserable 2022-23 campaign in which he recorded a 2.92 goals-against average (GAA) paired with a .892 save percentage (SV%) in 59 appearances.
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While Markstrom’s season was undeniably disappointing, it is important to remember that at his best he is a top-10 goaltender in the world. Those aren’t easy to come by, and having him around to mentor a young up-and-comer in Wolf is extremely valuable in itself.
The other major issue with dealing Markstrom is that, as promising as Wolf looks, he has played in just one NHL game so far. Going into this season with an extremely inexperienced tandem of Wolf and Vladar could potentially be a disaster waiting to happen.
Wolf Won’t Be Moved
Barring an absolute miracle in which the return is simply too much to pass up, Wolf won’t be going anywhere. He is arguably the top goaltending prospect in the world at this point and the most exciting the Flames have had between the pipes in quite some time.
While Wolf won’t be moved, there may be a chance that he begins the 2023-24 season in the AHL, much to the disappointment of Flames fans. It certainly wouldn’t be ideal, but you can’t blame new head coach Ryan Huska for potentially wanting to just run with two goaltenders. Wolf would draw the short end of the stick though, as he is the only one who is still waiver eligible.
Conroy Needs to Do His Best to Find Deal for Vladar
For all we know, Conroy may be doing everything in his power to move Vladar, and the right fit simply hasn’t presented itself. These moves often take time, as there is much more to it than we all understand. That said, if there is a reasonable offer available at this point or any time ahead of the 2023-24 season, Conroy would be wise to jump all over it. Wolf has continued to prove that he is ready for a full-time role in the NHL, and moving Vladar would give him that opportunity.