We’re midway through September; NHL rookie camps and tournaments are well underway and the preseason is under a week away. Rosters will need to be finalized before the regular season begins on Oct. 4. Fans of the Calgary Flames have been eagerly watching the team’s Young Stars Tournament, which takes place annually in Penticton, BC. That lineup features many of the franchise’s blossoming talents such as 2024 first-rounders Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin, 2023 16th overall selection Sam Honzek, and last season’s star trade acquisition Hunter Brzustewicz, among many others. What the Young Stars team noticeably doesn’t feature is a high-profile goalie prospect.
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The three goalies playing are Waltteri Ignatjew, Matt Radomsky, and Connor Murphy. All three are undrafted and played either overseas or cycled between the ECHL and the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Calgary Wranglers in 2023-24. Flames fans don’t stress over this because the team has their goalie of the future already: Dustin Wolf. The 23-year-old is a two-time AHL Goaltender of the Year, AHL MVP, and won numerous awards in junior as well. However, Wolf is being thrust into a full-time NHL role this season despite having only 18 games under his belt. His running mate is slated to be 75-game veteran Dan Vladar. Both are largely unproven commodities that are going to have a tough time surviving a season in which the Flames will not be competitive.
With last season’s starter Jacob Markstrom traded this offseason, we feel that the Flames should seek out a more experienced netminder to teach Wolf the ropes while also being able to take over should he struggle. Here are three such players the Flames should target.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Minnesota Wild
That’s right, the first goaltender that we feel could help the Flames is one of the greatest of all time, Marc-Andre Fleury. The now 39-year-old’s best days are probably behind him but he has still proved the ability to steal games over the past few seasons with the Minnesota Wild. He flirted with retirement this offseason, but decided to re-sign with the Wild on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. After three Stanley Cups, one Vezina Trophy, 1,025 games, and 561 wins, he did state that the 2024-25 season will be his last in the NHL. So why would he leave a relatively competitive team to join a rebuilding one? Well for starters, the Wild have found themselves in a similar situation to last season’s Flames: they have Fleury and Filip Gustavsson on the roster but need to get prized goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt NHL reps as well.
Fleury may be the odd man out, especially if the Wild start to fall outside of the playoff picture. While he’d probably rather get traded to a contender that gives him one last chance at another Cup, perhaps he’d be willing to spend his last days as a mentor on a team with less pressure to succeed. For what it’s worth, the Quebec native has also never played for a Canadian NHL team. Wolf could learn an abundance of tips and tricks from the future Hall-of-Famer, who has basically done it all in the NHL. Fleury also dealt with the pressure of being a very hyped-up prospect after he was selected first overall back in 2003, and people tend to forget that he struggled in his first few seasons. Regardless, he became a huge part of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ franchise turnaround. Even though he may be past his prime, Fleury still suited up for an impressive 40 games in 2023-24, winning 17 of them. He may be exactly what Wolf and the Flames need to push through this season and be better for the future.
Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
Next is a completely different option, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Elvis Merzlikins. Significantly younger and less experienced when compared to Fleury, he has still played five seasons in the NHL and at age 30 still has a lot left to offer. After helping the Blue Jackets reach the postseason as a rookie in 2019-20, the Latvian goaltender hasn’t played up to the same standard apart from a 27-win campaign in 2021-22. Last season with the lowly Blue Jackets, he went 13-17-8 with one shutout in 41 appearances. He also accumulated a paltry 3.45 goals-against average (GAA) and .897 save percentage (SV%). The main reason we’re looking at him is that he is one of the very few netminders that is unequivocally available. Merzlikins requested a trade out of Ohio back in January.
While he wouldn’t be anywhere near the teacher that Fleury is, Merzlikins at least has demonstrated NHL starter capabilities and could also stick around for a few seasons. After all, he still has three seasons remaining on the five-year, $27 million contract he signed in 2021. While his $5.4 million cap hit may sting other teams, the Flames can most definitely afford it; they have the third-most cap space in the league with $20 million available. Merzlikins could benefit from a fresh start, and potentially rediscover his past form. Because of how expensive he is and his poor recent performances, the Flames could also get compensation in the form of draft capital or a prospect in a package for Merzlikins. If Wolf succeeds and takes the starter’s reins, Merzlikins could serve as a backup for a season before possibly being flipped again.
James Reimer, Buffalo Sabres
Last but not least is Buffalo Sabres veteran goaltender James Reimer. The 36-year-old hit the 500-game milestone in 2023-24 after a notable career spanning 14 seasons. The native of nearby Red Deer, Alberta signed with the Sabres this offseason after a single season with the Detroit Red Wings. Even at an advanced age, he performed admirably, going 11-8-2 with two shutouts, a 3.11 GAA and a .904 SV% in 25 games. The Sabres are a young up-and-coming team much like the Flames, except they are significantly further along in their rebuild process and are closer to competing. They won’t be winning the Stanley Cup in 2025, but have a bright future ahead of them. Reimer is still without a Stanley Cup in his illustrious career, and much like Fleury, he may prefer to be traded to a playoff-bound team rather than the Flames.
However, the Sabres find themselves in a similar situation to the Wild; they have Reimer and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on the roster with highly-anticipated prospect Devon Levi waiting in the wings. Reimer’s signing appears to be a stopgap until Levi is ready to make the transition to the NHL. If he progresses quickly or if the Sabres put forth a poor 2024-25 performance, the franchise may want to move Reimer. The expert has over 200 NHL wins and has played for five different teams, including the harshest hockey market of all, Toronto, for six seasons. There’s no doubt that his hockey knowledge is vast and the fact that he has experience sharing the crease with other successful goaltenders like Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Roberto Luongo helps too. There’s no doubt that his presence on the Flames would bolster Wolf’s development.
Ultimately, the Flames going through the 2024-25 NHL season with the goaltending duo they have now is a huge, unnecessary gamble. Wolf will be in tough as it is this campaign; the Flames have a lacklustre defence and will be giving up plenty of shots on goal as well as high-danger scoring chances. Going to another unproven career backup for help and/or advice is not ideal, and the Flames should do something about it.
