Flames Activate Devin Cooley; Reassign Arsenii Sergeev

According to Flames Now’s Pat Steinberg, the Calgary Flames have activated netminder Devin Cooley off the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, Calgary announced they assigned netminder Arsenii Sergeev to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

Cooley, 23, is in his third year with the Flames organization after signing as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. He spent the entire first season of his two-year deal with AHL Calgary, finishing 21-17-7 in 46 games with a .905 SV% and 2.94 GAA. The following season, Cooley earned the backup role behind sophomore Dustin Wolf.

Despite remaining the backup, Cooley had a promising year. He proved reliable when Wolf faltered, securing a 10-10-6 record in 31 appearances with a .909 SV%, 2.69 GAA, and 11.5 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA). His strong performance prompted the Flames to sign him to a two-year, $2.7MM ($1.35MM AAV) extension through the 2027-28 season.

This year, Cooley has quickly become a fan favorite. Calgary stumbled out of the gates, going 1-6-0 through their first seven contests. Wolf wasn’t part of the solution, earning a 1-4-0 record in that stretch with an .834 SV%. The Flames have quickly turned things around since.

While his off-ice interviews have been some of the most interesting in recent history, Cooley has returned the Flames to relevance. In seven games this season, Cooley is 4-3-0 with a .914 SV% and 2.69 GAA. According to MoneyPuck, Cooley is 12th-best in Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 (GSAx/60) among 41 qualified netminders. Wolf, on the other hand, is 39th.

Still, Wolf has performed much better in Cooley’s absence. Since Cooley suffered his lower-body injury on October 28th, Wolf is 2-0-1 in three starts with a .936 SV%. If Wolf continues elevating his play, Calgary would be comfortable starting either netminder on any given night.

Meanwhile, Calgary cleared room for Cooley’s return by reassigning Sergeev. The Russian netminder played one game for the Flames during his call-up, losing against the Colorado Avalanche on Halloween.