Flames cut Dustin Wolf and five other players from training camp roster

As training camps progress, making roster cuts gets harder and harder for NHL teams, and that was the case for the Calgary Flames on Thursday morning.

The Flames announced that they have cut six players from their training camp roster. Two forwards will be assigned to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL in Connor Zary and Lucas Ciona, while 2023 first-round pick Samuel Honzek has been returned to the Vancouver Giants of the WHL.

Two defencemen have also been assigned to the Wranglers in Jeremie Poirier and Yan Kuznetsov. The last cut, and undoubtedly the one that will receive the most discussion, is that of goaltender Dustin Wolf, who was also assigned to the Wranglers.

Flames General Manager Craig Conroy recently said that the team was comfortable sending Wolf back to the AHL and he clearly meant it. Despite winning goaltender of the year in the AHL in back-t0-back seasons, Wolf was the only waiver-exempt goalie the Flames had remaining, and he has drawn the short end of the stick as a result.

Despite Wolf’s demotion, both the organization and its fanbase are well aware of how talented he is. Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar know, too, and will need to ensure they play well out of the gates in order to keep Wolf down with the Wranglers. If either struggle, the 22-year-old could be back up with the Flames in no time.

The other somewhat surprising name to see on this list is Zary, who some thought had an opportunity to crack the opening night roster in a bottom-six role. The 2020 first-round pick remains one of the Flames’ top prospects and will continue to get plenty of ice time to further improve his game with the Wranglers. In 72 AHL appearances last season, he scored 21 goals and 58 points.

With this latest round of cuts, the Flames now have 30 players remaining in training camp, split between two goalies, 10 defencemen, and 18 forwards. Several tough decisions remain prior to the Flames’ season opener on October 11 versus the Winnipeg Jets.

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