Wolf getting another chance to prove he's NHL ready
Chatting with reporters for the first time since before the NHL'S trade deadline, stalwart netminder Jacob Markstrom was understandably uninterested in revisiting the speculation about his future with the Calgary Flames.
“It's been a relief not talking to you guys,” Markstrom said with a playful grin. “We look forward now.”
Looking forward is exactly what the C of Red has been doing. Looking forward, that is, to seeing more of prized puck-stopping prospect Dustin Wolf and what the Flames' goaltender of the future could be capable of.
We now know that Wolf will be spending the rest of this season at the big-league level.
While Markstrom returned to practice Thursday after missing a four-game chunk with a lower body injury, the Flames announced that backup Dan Vladar has been shut down because of a hip issue that has been bothering him for quite some time. Vladar will have surgery next week.
The 22-year-old Wolf said that “you never want to see a guy go down to injury,” but this is the sort of extended NHL audition he has been waiting for. He will remain on emergency recall before rejoining the AHL'S Wranglers for their playoff push.
“That's exactly what it is — it's a good opportunity for myself to be in this locker-room and to be around these guys for the next month and hopefully more,” said Wolf, who won two of his three starts during Markstrom's latest injury absence, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens before getting the Alex Ovechkin experience in Monday's loss to the Washington Capitals.
“This is definitely the opportunity I've been hoping and waiting for. Now is the chance to take advantage of it.”
The plan is Markstrom will be between the pipes for Saturday's showdown with the Canucks in Vancouver (8 p.m. MT, CBC/ Sportsnet 960 The Fan), but you can expect to see plenty of Wolf over the final 14 games on the schedule.
How exactly the Flames divvy up crease duties will likely depend on how long they can remain relevant in the Western Conference wild-card race. As Markstrom put it: “We can't really look that much further. … We have to win this game Saturday and then see what the other teams do.”
“He's shown everyone that he can stop the puck and he's playing great hockey for years now,” Markstrom said of his new crease counterpart — a guy who is 12 years younger, six inches shorter and has 450 or so fewer starts at the top level. “Obviously, I know the transition. It's a different game. It takes time. For me, it took almost 10 years to kind of figure everything out. You have to play games to get better and learn, and I think he's been doing great when he comes in here and plays.”
For the next four weeks, Wolf is excited about the opportunity to job shadow a former Vezina Trophy finalist.
“He's a world-class goaltender for a reason,” Wolf said. “He is, in my mind, probably top five in the league and the way he handles himself off the ice is super important and I think that's a big reason why he has played so long in this league and I'm sure he'll play many more years. I'm super excited to be around him each and every day for the next month and kind of pick apart his game and see what works well for him.”
That sort of internship will not only benefit Wolf, the AHL'S two-time goalie of the year, but should benefit an organization in the early stages of a retool.
Markstrom, who is signed through the end of the 2025-26 campaign at an annual cap hit of US$6 million, will certainly be subject to more trade rumours this summer. Whether the Flames are willing to shop their go-to goaltender might depend on if Wolf, who turns 23 next month, can capitalize on this extended opportunity to erase any doubt he is ready for prime time.
“We gotta look forward now,” Markstrom repeated after Thursday's practice. “Everyone in this room is gonna be here now. I have a contract for two more years, and I'm just excited to be back playing.”