The Calgary Flames have announced that goaltender Dan Vladar has been placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury.
According to Flames head coach Ryan Huska, Vladar, 26, was injured during the warmup before Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. He served as the backup for that game, but after further evaluation, he will need some time to heal from the injury.
Vladar has struggled in the crease this season when he’s had opportunities to play, with a 7-7-2 record and an .888% save percentage in only 16 games. Those struggles are supported in the underlying numbers, as his -5.01 goals saved above expected is the 11th worst in the league this season.
Vladar is a former third-round pick of the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL Draft, but didn’t make his NHL debut until he made the Bruins’ Return to Play roster in the 2020 playoff bubble and eventually became the backup goalie when Tuukka Rask withdrew from the tournament, playing one game in relief of Jaroslav Halak. He played five games the following season with the Bruins before he was dealt to the Flames in the 2021 offseason for a third-round pick to become their backup goalie for Jacob Markstrom.
Vladar is currently in the first year of a two-year contract with a $2.2 million cap hit, a deal he signed as an extension shortly after the start of the 2022-23 season.
With Vladar’s injury, Dustin Wolf has been recalled from the AHL to serve as the backup to Markstrom for the Flames. Wolf has struggled in his brief time in the NHL this season, with a 1-2-1 record, an .893% save %, and -3.04 goals saved above expected, but has been excellent in the AHL with an 18-7-2 record, a .927% save%, and four shutouts.
The Flames will look to build on their three-game winning streak when they visit the New York Islanders on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST. They currently sit in fifth in the Pacific Division with a 24-22-5 record, and are a point behind the St. Louis Blues for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
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