The Calgary Flames have announed that goaltender Dustin Wolf has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.
This move is an indication that starting netminder Jacob Markström is now ready to return from the day-to-day injury that has kept him out of the lineup for a week.
Although Markström and Dan Vladař have struggled so far this season, the Flames’ $6MM AAV commitment to Markström has him entrenched as the team’s starter. Same for Vladař and the Flames backup goalie role, although the $2.2MM AAV goalie’s grip on that role is notably shakier.
Although Wolf has been the AHL’s best player since making his full-time debut in 2021-22, the aforementioned situation in the Flames’ net means Wolf getting sent down is no huge surprise. The AHL MVP is still just 22 years old, and does not require waivers to be sent to the minors.
So for Calgary, it makes more sense for the team to keep Wolf as the AHL starter rather than have him either stapled to the bench as a third goalie, or as a backup to Markström potentially at the cost of Vladař being claimed on waivers.
Wolf returns to the minors having at least made his NHL debut, though, in a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Wolf’s .924 save percentage so far this season in the AHL is more reflective of his talent than his performance in one NHL start, of course, and assuming Wolf can continue his stellar play in the AHL, another recall may not be far off should the Flames’ two goalies continue to struggle.
I’d give Markstrom another month to figure it out and if he can’t find consistency, get what you can for him, retain what you can and put Wolf in there full-time. It’s pretty much a lost season unless CAL can somehow reel off a 9-1 streak or something of the sort.
Hrm. Wolf didn’t look bad against the Senators. There was one Ottawa goal he had to have wanted back, but otherwise?