Despite the 2023-24 season only being three games old for the Calgary Flames, trade rumours are already swirling around the team. Many were expected to happen with this organization in the offseason, but general manager Craig Conroy instead remained patient, moving only Tyler Toffoli while holding onto the remainder of his roster.
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One such player who was rumoured to be on the move in the offseason was Dan Vladar. Despite having two years remaining on his contract thanks to an extension signed ahead of the 2022-23 season, many believed Vladar would be on the block in order to make room on the Flames for Dustin Wolf. For one reason or another, however, he remained with the team through the summer, resulting in many assuming he would remain with them for the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign, if not longer. However, that may not be the case.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period recently put out a report that the Flames have re-engaged with several teams on a trade regarding Vladar. It isn’t all that surprising, as Wolf is already off to an exceptional start with the Calgary Wranglers, and has proven he is too good of a talent to remain in the American Hockey League (AHL). If Vladar is indeed moved in the near future, it is likely he will end up on one of these three teams.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to be a Stanley Cup contender once again this season, but are in desperate need of a goaltender over the next few months to keep them in the running for the playoffs. This is due to the fact that their longtime starter in Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to be out for at least the first two months of the season after undergoing back surgery in late September.
With Vasilevskiy out, the Lightning are attempting to get by with a tandem of Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins. The results haven’t been pretty early on, as the Bolts have a record of 1-2-1, and a team save percentage (SV%) of .893. Johansson has started three games, posting a 3.71 goals-against average (GAA), while Tomkins is even worse through his lone start at 4.10. The two have a combined 39 appearances at the NHL level, which inspires little confidence.
Given the Flames’ current roster, they likely wouldn’t need to demand a roster player back from the Bolts but could be interested in some of their upcoming draft picks. The Lightning happen to own a third-round pick in the 2024 Draft, which could be of interest to the Flames. However, if they have hopes of getting a second-round pick, the Lightning have one in 2025. It is something to consider for Conroy, at the very least.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche aren’t as desperate for a goalie as the Lightning are, as Alexander Georgiev is off to a phenomenal start this season with a 1.30 GAA along with a .958 SV% through three starts. That said, backup Pavel Francouz is on long-term injured reserve, and there is no timeline for his return.
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Behind Georgiev at the moment is Ivan Prosvetov, who through 13 career NHL appearances has a cringeworthy 4.07 GAA and a .871 SV%. Given how he has faired in his little work to date, head coach Jared Bednar can’t feel very confident throwing him out there when Georgiev is in need of a rest. If they know that Francouz is nowhere near a return, bringing in Vladar would give them a much more reliable backup option than they have at the moment.
The Avs currently have $2 million in cap space, which wouldn’t quite fit in Vladar’s $2.2 million cap hit. That said, Conroy could be willing to retain a bit of his goaltender’s deal in order to pull off a trade. The Avalanche don’t have many picks in the 2024 Draft, but have all but their second at this time in 2025.
Buffalo Sabres
After years of struggles, the Buffalo Sabres are expected to be in the running for a playoff spot this season. They have a plethora of talent both up front and on the back end, but goaltending remains a question mark. There is little doubt that Devon Levi has what it takes to become a very capable starting goaltender, but expecting him to carry the load by himself may prove to be too much for the 21-year-old this season.
The problem for the Sabres is that behind Levi, they have little else. Eric Comrie struggled to a 3.67 GAA and a .867 SV% last season in 19 appearances, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wasn’t a whole lot better with a 3.58 GAA and a .892 SV% in 33 contests. Bringing in a more proven goaltender such as Vladar would be a nice move for the Sabres to help carry the load with Levi.
Vladar’s contract wouldn’t be an issue whatsoever for the Sabres, as they have over $9 million in cap space. They also have first, second, and third-round draft picks in both the 2024 and 2025 Drafts, and given where the rest of their roster is, should be more than okay parting ways with one or two of those selections.
Flames Can Remain Patient
While every Flames fan wants to see Wolf in the NHL, Conroy is in no rush to hand Vladar off for nothing. There will be teams in the league who get more desperate as the days and weeks go by and may be willing to give up more than they are at this particular moment. That said, given that they are believed to have re-engaged in trade talks with the 26-year-old netminder, it seems more likely than not that he will be wearing a different jersey before the 2023-24 season comes to an end.
