With the trade deadline now just under two months away, teams will be starting to make decisions soon on some of their pending unrestricted free agents. Among the soon-to-be-UFAs in Calgary is goaltender Daniel Vladar. While he could be one of the more intriguing netminders to hit the open market in July, that’s not his preference. Instead, he told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that he has made it clear to everyone in the organization that he wants to remain with the Flames.
The 27-year-old is in his fourth season with Calgary with the first three presenting plenty of ups and downs. In 2021-22 (his first year with them), he put up a 2.75 GAA and a .906 SV% in 23 games, solid numbers for a second-string option. Even with a dip the following year, the team saw fit to give him a two-year deal with a $2.2MM cap charge to keep Vladar around a little longer.
Unfortunately for Vladar and Calgary, last season saw him struggle even more, putting up a 3.62 GAA with a .882 SV% in 20 games before undergoing season-ending hip surgery. Despite those struggles, GM Craig Conroy didn’t go out and add a veteran netminder in free agency last summer, opting to give Vladar another shot at the backup job behind top prospect Dustin Wolf.
That faith has been rewarded thus far as Vladar has improved his numbers to a 3.02 GAA and a .890 SV% in 18 appearances this season, all starts as the two have largely platooned thus far. Those numbers are around the NHL average and considering he has had more of the tougher starts compared to Wolf, being around league average on a mid-pack team is certainly a step in the right direction.
With Wolf still just getting his feet wet at the NHL level (though he’s playing quite well), there’s a case to make for Calgary to add a more veteran backup to work with him. On the other hand, sticking with a pairing that works between the pipes isn’t a bad way to go either. With Vladar’s struggles from last year likely factoring into the price of his next contract, he shouldn’t be able to command much more than what he’s currently making.
There is another factor to consider here, however. Devin Cooley – whose deal converts to a one-way pact next season – has gotten off to a simply stellar start to his season with AHL Calgary, putting up a 1.92 GAA and a .939 SV% in 22 games with the Wranglers. He leads the AHL in save percentage while sitting second in goals against average. He’s making a very strong case to get some NHL time of his own this season and if the Flames want to see what he can do and evaluate if he could be Wolf’s backup, keeping Vladar around will make that task more difficult.
Of course, goalies like Vladar don’t typically carry a lot of value during the in-season trade market. Barring injuries, many playoff-bound teams have their tandem already in place or Vladar wouldn’t represent enough of an upgrade to justify giving up a return of significance. But with still nine weeks before the deadline, things can change on this front.
Conroy has some decisions to make with his goaltending and the trade deadline might serve as a soft deadline for that choice depending on what their plans are with Cooley. But Vladar has been very clear, his hope is that he’ll get a new deal done with the Flames and stay with them for the foreseeable future.
Ya Vladar is very much like Riemer 4-5 years ago. Good enough to be a starter on a bad team not good enough for a contender to get for any more than a backup. Wouldn’t get much more than a 3rd for him I imagine