The Calgary Flames have announced that goaltender Daniel Vladar will receive season-ending hip surgery. It was further announced that starter Jacob Markstrom has been cleared to return after being out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He will play alongside rookie Dustin Wolf for the remainder of the season.
Vladar has appeared in 19 starts this season and has posted a record of 8-9-2 with a .882 save percentage. The 26-year-old has one year remaining on his two-year, $4.4 million contract. Consistency has been the main struggle for Vladar, and it’s also been a struggle for the entire team in general. The Flames hope to have him ready for action by the time the 2024-2025 season rolls around.
Flames Have Big Goaltending Decisions to Make
With Dustin Wolf staying with the team, the Flames will have a chance to give him more starts in hopes of giving him a full-time roster spot next year. The 22-year-old has only appeared in nine starts this season posting a 4-4-1 record and a .897 save percentage. A lot of development is still yet to come for Wolf, and giving him more NHL experience will only help with that.
The Flames will be heading into this offseason with three goaltenders on the roster. Decisions will have to be made on the future of the Flames’ net. With all the news that surrounded Markstrom, many believed that he’d likely want out. Markstrom has posted a 22-17-2 record and a .910 save percentage in 41 starts this season. The 34-year-old has had a huge bounce back and his value right now is at an all-time high.
Many expected Markstrom to be out the door by the trade deadline but this did not happen. Do the Flames trade Markstrom in the summer and go with Wolf and Vladar as their tandem next season? Or does Vladar find himself on the trade block? Lots of uncertainty will need to be cleared up for the 2024-2025 season.
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