Flames have a decision to make between Markstrom and Vladar
The Calgary Flames have a goaltending controversy on their hands.
Prospect Dustin Wolf was named the AHL’s goalie of the year for the second straight season and is knocking on the door for an NHL opportunity. Given the 22-year-old’s success, fans are begging for him to be with the Flames out of the gate next season, and management may not have much of a choice.
The issue in giving him the opportunity he deserves is that the Flames have two other goaltenders under NHL contracts in Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar. While some think moving the latter would be the better choice, others, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, believe they may explore moving Markstrom.
“I just wonder at the very least, if Calgary and Markstrom have a conversation,” Friedman said on his latest 32 Thoughts Podcast. “Markstrom has complete control, and I know this is going to burn up the city of Calgary, but I just don’t think Craig Conroy is doing his job if he doesn’t at least have that conversation.”
While Markstrom seems to be the less likely of the two to be dealt, it is understandable that Conroy may not be sure what to do just yet. Moving Markstrom and his $6 million cap hit could help the Flames free up some cap space while being able to keep the 25-year-old Vladar, who has been solid in his backup role through his first two seasons in Calgary and could be ready to take a bigger step.
The issue is that they would be giving Markstrom up at his lowest value, as the 33-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career. On top of that, it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see him bounce back to the goalie he was a year prior, as he put up a league-high nine shutouts and was a Vezina Trophy finalist.
Markstrom is far more experienced than Vladar, so he would be a great mentor to Wolf. That said, Vladar and Wolf would give the Flames a very cost-efficient tandem, who both have the potential to be true number ones at the NHL level.
While it remains to be seen what way the Flames will go, a decision needs to be made one way or the other. Wolf has earned his opportunity and has nothing left to prove at the AHL level. It will be interesting to see how Conroy goes about this situation, as it will be one of many significant things he will need to deal with in his first offseason as a general manager.
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