Starter Jacob Markstrom ready to return but Flames prospect Dustin Wolf gets to stick around for more NHL action
Starter Jacob Markstrom ready to return but Flames prospect Dustin Wolf gets to stick around for more NHL action
With the impending return of starter Jacob Markstrom, it looked like Calgary Flames netminder Dustin Wolf was destined to return to the minors after his first extended look in the crease at the NHL level.
But the Flames announced on Thursday that Wolf isn’t going anywhere.
Backup Dan Vladar is set for season-ending surgery next week to fix a hip injury, which means the franchise’s likely goalie of the future will likely stick around to the end of the regular-season before re-joining the AHL Calgary Wranglers for their playoff run.
Frankly, things couldn’t have worked out better for Wolf. With all due respect to Vladar — who has been a fairly dependable backup and a stellar human who’s done a great job as Markstrom’s right-hand man — the 26-year-old is much more of a longshot than Wolf to be tabbed for a full-time starting job with the Flames. The 22-year-old Wolf has been the best player in the AHL for a couple of seasons already and has shown in flashes in recent Flames games that he could be something special (or at least really solid) at the world’s top level, too.
Markstrom will probably get the majority of starts the rest of the way, but Wolf could get more looks than a traditional backup as Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy needs to know Wolf’s development potential. With the likelihood of a Markstrom trade this offseason, the team probably wants to make sure he’s fresh and at his best for each of his remaining starts as well after a few injuries have pulled him out of the lineup in short spurts this year.
Vladar will finish this season with an 8-9-2 record with an .882 save percentage and 3.62 goals-against average.
Wolf is 3-4-1 in his eight starts this year, with an .897 save percentage and 3.25 goals-against average. But he went 2-1-0 in three straight starts last week with back-to-back wins over the Vegas Golden Knights (.966 save percentage and one goal against) and Montreal Canadiens (.947 SP and two GA).
