A big reason many expected the Calgary Flames to struggle this season was that few had confidence in their young and inexperienced goaltending duo.
Goaltending hadn’t been looked at as a potential weakness for the Flames in several seasons, but that all changed after they traded Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils early this past offseason.
The trade of Markstrom signalled that the Flames were likely to go with a duo of Dan Vladar and Dustin Wolf, who combined had just 93 games of NHL experience. Both had also struggled in limited action in 2023-24, with Vladar posting a 3.62 goals against average (GAA) and a .882 save percentage (SV%) in 20 appearances, while Wolf had a slightly better 3.16 GAA along with a .893 SV% in 17 games.
Not solely due to those two, though in large part, the expectation from most was that the 2024-25 season would be a long one for the Flames, where they endeared plenty of losses but would wind up with a top pick in the 2025 draft. It’s still early, but through 17 games, that no longer looks to be the case.
The Flames have jumped out to a solid 8-6-3 record this season, which is good enough for the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Their success certainly hasn’t been because of their offence, as Rasmus Andersson leads the team in scoring with just 11 points. Instead, it’s been largely due to the play of both goaltenders.
Vladar has made nine starts this season and looks back to full health after undergoing hip surgery in late March. He has a 2.65 GAA and a .906 SV%, and has given his team a legitimate shot at winning night in and night out.
The same can be said for Wolf, who, aside from one rough outing versus the Utah Hockey Club, is having himself a very solid rookie campaign, putting together a 2.84 GAA and a .913 SV% through eight starts.
Interestingly enough, neither has fared much, if any, worse than Markstrom this season. The 34-year-old has been solid early into his tenure with the Devils, but has very similar numbers to the Flames goaltenders with a 2.54 GAA and a .908 SV% through 13 starts. It’s also worth noting that those numbers have come behind a much deeper and more experienced blue line.
Though it remains to be seen whether Wolf and Vladar can keep this play up over an entire 82-game schedule, it’s becoming more evident by the day why Flames management was comfortable moving on from Markstrom. Their play, and in particular Wolf’s, gives fans plenty to be excited about when looking at the future of this organization.