How much does the Flames’ season depend on Dustin Wolf?

It’s no secret that the reason why the Calgary Flames were so close to the playoffs last season was because of one man: Dustin Wolf. He’s been the backbone of the team ever since he had an amazing rookie season that resulted in him being a runner-up for the Calder Trophy.

Wolf has easily cemented himself as a top goalie in the league already, and his importance to the Flames is undeniable. Without him, the Flames easily would’ve been a bottom-tier team likely picking in the draft lottery. With that being said, every new season is a fresh start. When it comes to the upcoming 2025-26 season, will Wolf be the sole reason if the Flames reach new heights? Or will he have some help along the way?

What Wolf means to the Flames

Spoiler alert: Wolf means everything to this team. Without him, the Flames would be a guaranteed lottery team. Pretty much everything is centred around him right now, but hockey isn’t a one-man sport.

Wolf’s dominant performance covered up a lot of the blemishes the Flames had last season. For starters, the team was among the bottom of the league when it came to five-on-five scoring. Additionally, their defence was also not the strongest. The result was a team winning games they honestly shouldn’t have won, but came out on top because of their goaltender.

This season, things don’t look much better. The Flames are pretty bringing back the same team as last season, and they could very well have issues scoring again. Add to the fact that the backup goalie situation took a hit with Dan Vladar leaving via free agency.

How Wolf will dictate the season

If my message hasn’t been clear, yes, I do believe that the outcome of this season for the Flames will highly depend on Wolf’s performance. As long as Wolf plays well, some fans will have hopes for the playoffs, given how close the Flames were last season. On the other hand, if Wolf has a down year, things could change for the worse…

The main thing is that the Flames didn’t make any improvements to their roster. While it’s fine that the team didn’t spend to get any big acquisitions, this team still has the potential to struggle. While it’s likely some players bounce back, it’s not exactly a guarantee.

If the Flames struggle to score again and if their defence is mediocre, all the pressure will shift right back on Wolf. You also need to consider the backup goalie position. By the looks of it, it seems like Devin Cooley will likely back up Wolf to start the season, as Ivan Prosvetov was placed on waivers. Neither goaltender had the best preseason performances, and they’re also inexperienced at the NHL level. Cooley, in particular, only has six games of NHL experience. Yes six. While he had a great first half last season in the AHL, he didn’t have the strongest of finishes to end the year, recording a .905 save percentage.

Burnout is a very real possibility

Let’s face it, with the season depending largely on Wolf, he’ll be in the crease a lot as the Flames’ starter. Wolf playing 60+ games isn’t a stretch by any means, given how weak the second half of the Flames’ goaltending duo is going to be.

For that reason, the Flames face a heavy risk of Wolf facing extreme burnout or injury. If one or both of those things occur, things could get pretty ugly for this team in net.

Either way, as long as Wolf continues to stay healthy, he’ll be leaned on as a major factor in trying to win games night in and night out. The Flames need to find more scoring from within their forward core, as you need to support your goaltenders with offence. Defence also needs to tighten up, but again, the Flames’ blueline this season is a toss-up. It’s why expectations for the Flames are unclear, and hopefully Wolf gets some more help this season to ease the burden off his shoulders.