The Calgary Flames did not look like the same team this season as they did in 2021-22 when they won the division, especially in net. Last season’s Vezina Trophy finalist Jacob Markstom majorly regressed and even though backup Dan Vladar had flashes of being a solid goalie, he ultimately didn’t have a great overall season.
The Flames got the pleasure of seeing Dustin Wolf make his NHL debut in the team’s final game of the season and he put on a show. He is the team’s top prospect and arguably the best goaltending prospect in the NHL. There is no doubt that he will have a spot on the Flames for next season, likely behind Markstrom, which leaves Dan Vladar as the odd man out. It makes much more sense to bet on an improvement from Markstrom considering his career as a whole and how well he played in the final nine games of the season. Not only will it be easier to move Vladar with two years at $2.2 million average annual value (AAV), Markstrom is a proven starter and can help ease Wolf into the NHL. Having said all that, let’s look at three potential teams that could trade for Vladar this offseason.
Edmonton Oilers
From how the first year of Jack Campbell’s contract has gone and how well rookie Stuart Skinner has played, the Edmonton Oilers appear to have made a pretty big mistake. Skinner started the season as a backup after the Oilers’ big free agent signing of Campbell, but quickly took over the starting role and finished the regular season with 14 more starts and eight more wins. The Oilers are also heading into the playoffs with Skinner as their starter.
It’s not going to be easy to move Campbell after the season he had, but the Oilers have the option of buying him out which would free up a spot on the roster, cap space, and a need to acquire a backup to play behind Skinner. This is where the Flames, who do still make deals with their bitter rivals, come into the equation. Vladar proved that he can play very good hockey at times and even held down the fort in Calgary while Markstrom struggled early in the season (from “The Flames may give Dan Vladar more starts, but Jacob Markstrom is still their guy”, The Athletic, Feb. 16, 2023). The Oilers would then be paying their goalie tandem $4.8 million AAV instead of $7.6 million AAV. With Evan Bouchard likely wanting big money on his next deal, neither the Flames nor the Oilers can afford to sit on their hands and not make a move that would benefit them both.
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders have squeaked into the playoffs on the back of Ilya Sorokin’s play. He is a Vezina Trophy contender this season and will very likely be a finalist. Over the past couple of seasons he has taken over the starting duties from Semyon Varlamov and the veteran, in the final year of his deal, only got 22 starts this season. Varlamov and many teams know that he can play much more than that and he played well this season. He will be moving on and the Islanders will be in need of a cheaper backup goalie.
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The team could very well be interested in a younger backup who will without a doubt perform better with a strong defensive system in front of him. The Islanders are known as one of the best teams in the NHL defensively, but that’s also thanks to Sorokin. They don’t need to be paying a backup goalie $5 million as Sorokin will be starting 55-60 games a season and it would even make more sense to bring in someone with a bit of experience and flashes of strong play. Vladar is under contract for two more seasons, an ideal length for the Islanders.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks were really sunk by their lack of solid goaltending this season. Thatcher Demko, who played great after returning from his months-long injury, didn’t start well at all. Once he landed on the injured reserve, Spencer Martin did an even worse job. The team’s inability to get a save from their goaltenders washed away their chances of making the playoffs pretty early.
Their plans are going to change this offseason as Martin will likely play out the final year of his contract in the American Hockey League while Collin Delia is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Martin is a good third-string goalie, but acquiring Vladar to be Demko’s backup would be a smart move. As noted above, the length of his contract and the cap hit aren’t bad at all and he could provide some solid relief for Demko as he did with Markstrom this season.
I don’t expect Vladar to get the Flames a ton in return as he finished the season with a .894 save percentage and minus-7.1 goals saved above average (GSAA). He did go 14-6-5 though, proving he could rise to the occasion and play well when he was really needed. There is a very slim chance Vladar isn’t traded before free agency, so expect his name to start popping up more and more as we approach the offseason.