Dan Vladar is facing quite a bit of criticism from Calgary Flames fans after last night’s 5-3 loss to the Utah Hockey Club.
The box score didn’t look great for Vladar, who allowed four goals on 25 shots in the loss. That said, he was beaten by a tip, a phenomenal backdoor pass, and the eventual game-winner, which deflected off the stick of MacKenzie Weegar.
The opening goal, however, which came off the stick of Lawson Crouse, was one that head coach Ryan Huska said afterward he felt should have been stopped.
“I didn’t like the first one,” Huska said. “Other than that, not too much he could do.”
The comment may not seem like much, but it raised a few eyebrows given that Huska has rarely, if at all, had anything negative to say about either of his goalies this season.
With the loss, Vladar’s record now sits at 6-8-5, with a 3.08 goals against average and a .888 save percentage, indicating he’s struggled. Those numbers are far less impressive than his counterpart, Dustin Wolf, who has a 12-5-2 record with a 2.61 GAA paired with a .914 SV%.
There’s more than what meets the eye when it comes to those stats, however.
Calgary’s goaltenders have split the team’s 38 games evenly, with Vladar facing 11 teams that currently sit in a playoff spot compared to Wolf’s eight. Vladar has also played in the second half of every Flames back-to-back set this season, the first coming on November 12 versus the Vancouver Canucks and the second on November 30 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Vladar has fared relatively well against teams in a playoff spot this season, posting a save percentage of .900 or higher in six of 11 opportunities. Wolf, meanwhile, has had a .900 SV% or higher in just three of his eight starts against current playoff teams.
By no means is this meant to disparage Wolf, who has put together an incredible rookie season and is deserving of being in the Calder Trophy conversation. That said, this Flames coaching staff appears to be sheltering him a bit in the early going of his career, and rightfully so. He is the future of this franchise, making it imperative that they do everything they can to continue building his confidence. So far, their plan is working.
Of course, there is an argument to be made that now may be the time to change up the goalie rotation to give Wolf a heavier workload. He’s had success at every level he’s played in his career, and loosening the reigns a little to see what he can do against the league’s top teams on a more regular basis is certainly intriguing.
That hasn’t happened yet, as it’s been Vladar who has drawn the tougher assignments on a more regular basis, and while a .888 SV% isn’t desirable, he hasn’t been nearly as bad as that number suggests.
Vladar could be traded
The starts may continue to be split because it isn’t out of the question that Vladar winds up being moved ahead of the trade deadline. The 27-year-old is set to become a UFA at the end of the season, and a playoff team looking for some goaltending depth may be willing to take a flier on him.
Vladar’s numbers suggest a return wouldn’t be significant, but moving him into a backup role would hurt his value even further. If the Flames plan is to move on from him at or ahead of the trade deadline, he will likely see consistent playing time these next few months.
Should the starts continue to be evenly split, Flames fans don’t need to worry. Wolf’s confidence in this current setup is increasing by the day, which will put him in a great position to be the undisputed number-one goaltender in Calgary by the time the 2025-26 season begins, regardless of who’s backing him up.
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