The Calgary Flames are pushing to make it back to the playoffs after a tough 2023-24 season. Their 2024-25 campaign has been solid, but they still find themselves outside of a playoff spot heading toward the 2025 Trade Deadline. Their fans seem to be split down the middle on whether they should try and trade players to bring in future assets or buy at the trade deadline in hopes of making a deep postseason push and starting to contend. While fans have argued about what moves they should make, it seems as though everyone agrees that Dustin Wolf is their starting goaltender for the foreseeable future and they should look to give him a stronger backup and an upgrade on Dan Vladar.
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One potential option for them at the deadline is Utah Hockey Club’s Karel Vejmelka, who has been solid between the pipes but could find his name on the trade block if Utah thinks they aren’t going to sneak into the postseason. At the time of this article, they are six points out of a wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference and don’t have any games in hand on the teams ahead of them.
They are at a decent 24-23-9 record but will have to have an immaculate finish to their season if they want to make the playoffs, and that seems unlikely at this point. They have a strong future ahead of them, but their inaugural season in Utah seems like one they’ll be happy to move on from. With that said, Vejmelka could be a strong target for contending teams looking to bolster their goaltending depth, and with the Flames looking to contend this season, it makes sense for them to inquire.
Vejmelka, who is 28 years old, was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft at 145th overall after a strong season in Czechia. He didn’t make his NHL debut until the 2021-22 season with the Arizona Coyotes, where he posted a 3.52 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .896 save percentage (SV%) through 52 games. This season, he has posted a 2.57 GAA and a .909 SV% through 34 games. Throughout his career, he has posted a 3.31 GAA and a .900 SV% through 174 games winning 57 of them and earning six shutouts.
Flames Cap Situation Allows for Easy Trade
The Flames have plenty of money to spend at the 2025 Trade Deadline if they choose to do so, probably more than any other team has ever had. According to PuckPedia, they have just over $80.3 million in deadline cap space, which gives them the freedom to do just about anything they want. Vejmelka is in the final season of his three-year contract that has a $2.725 million cap hit and considering the Flames have the money and assets to make a deal work no matter what the asking price is, they should try to make something happen and bring in Vejmelka.
Realistically, a trade likely looks like the Flames acquiring Vejmelka in exchange for Vladar, a 2026 third-round pick, and a prospect. They have two third-round picks in 2026 which makes it easier to move one of them, and if they wanted to bring in Vejmelka with the guarantee of an extension, they could move one of their 2026 first-round picks instead of the prospect and a third.
As of right now, there haven’t been any indications of the Flames having interest in Vejmelka. However, the fit makes sense if they want to improve the depth between the pipes. Vejmelka is a trustworthy backup and could help stabilize their crease for a playoff run, should they be able to sneak into one of the wild card spots.
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