Calgary Flames goalie Dan Vladar remains in trade speculation
The Calgary Flames aren’t expected to be a busy team going into the trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean they won’t make any moves.
The Flames already made what will likely be their biggest splash this season, acquiring Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from the Philadelphia Flyers in late January. They continue to have interest in a right-handed centreman, most notably Dylan Cozens, but that type of move has a better chance at taking place in the offseason.
The Flames remain in the hunt for a playoff spot, which makes selling off potential pending UFA’s such as Kevin Rooney and Joel Hanley unlikely. There is also an argument to be made that neither player would receive interest from playoff bound teams.
Their one pending UFA who may still receive some interest, however, is backup goalie Dan Vladar.
Vladar has had a rough season to date with a 2.98 GAA paired with a .891 SV% through 23 appearances. He has been tasked with some difficult starts, but it’s been a frustrating campaign nonetheless.
To Vladar’s credit, he has picked up his play as of late, particularly in his last start, where he kicked aside 26 of the 27 shots he faced in a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Performances like that aren’t only important for the Flames standings wise, but may help raise Vladar’s trade value.
Vladar’s name popped up on Daily Faceoff’s most recent trade targets list, coming in at No. 41.
“Colorado already did their [goalie] shopping, and Carolina has checked in to understand the price. But the Flames are looking to get back at the very least what they spent to get Vladar from Boston, which was a third-round pick,” Frank Seravalli wrote.
This isn’t the first time the Hurricanes have been mentioned as a potential destination for Vladar. They are a bit flawed between the pipes, with Frederik Andersen’s health always being a cause for concern.
Though the Flames don’t appear to be in any sort of rush to move on from Vladar, it makes sense that they would be open to doing so for the right return. They have Devin Cooley – who sports a 2.40 GAA and a .921 SV% in the AHL this season – ready to go whenever called upon. He’s locked up through 2025-26 with a $775,000 cap hit.
The trade deadline is set for Friday, March 7 at 1 pm MT.
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