Calgary Flames activate Daniel Vladar from injured reserve, call up Dryden Hunt

The Calgary Flames have activated goaltender Daniel Vladar off injured reserve, and also called up forward Dryden Hunt from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

The Flames subsequently sent goaltender Dustin Wolf and forward Cole Schwindt back to the Wranglers.

Vladar suffered an upper-body injury earlier this month during warmups prior to a game against the New Jersey Devils. He has struggled for the Flames, registering a 7-7-2 record and an .888% save percentage in only 16 games. The underlying numbers support those struggles, as his -5.01 goals saved above expected is the 11th worst in the league this season.

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.

The Flames subsequently sent down top goaltending prospect Dustin Wolf back to the Wranglers. The 22-year-old is 1-3-1 with an .878 save percentage in six games this year, but he’s been one of the best AHL goaltenders with an 18-7-2 record and four shutouts.

Hunt, 28, has played in four NHL games with the Flames this year, registering 10 shots during a four-game losing streak earlier this fall. Hunt has considerable NHL experience, splitting last year between Toronto, Colorado and the New York Rangers and has 206 games to his credit since making his debut with the Florida Panthers in 2017-18.

Schwindt, meanwhile, made his Flames debut on Jan. 23 over a year after being part of the Matthew Tkachuk for Johnny Gaudreau trade. Schwindt failed to register a point and had just one shot on net in a depth defensive role. The 22-year-old winger has nine goals in 21 games with the Wranglers, his fourth season in the AHL.

The Flames will look to bounce back from a 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday with a 2:00 PM MT start against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday afternoon.