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Using Lukas Dostal’s contract as a comparable for Dustin Wolf’s next deal

Originally posted on The Win Column | By Gurpal Singh | Last updated Jul 26, 2025 12:49 PM ET

A question many fans of the Calgary Flames have is what Dustin Wolf’s next contract looks like. The 24-year-old goaltender has been eligible for a contract extension since July 1st and will be an RFA next summer. Wolf officially established himself as the Flames’ number one netminder, so questions will arise about how much money he’s going to get. If it weren’t for Wolf, the Flames wouldn’t have been so close to a playoff spot this season.

While other RFAs are dominating the storylines, it’d be nice for the Flames to lock up their starting netminder for the long run. While there have been various predictions on what Wolf’s number will be, the point is that he’s in for a major raise.

Recently, another young goaltender in the same division signed a substantial contract. Anaheim Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal was rewarded with a five-year deal worth $32.5 million. In this article, I’ll briefly compare the two players and explore whether Wolf is on track to receive a similar contract.

A brief history of Wolf and Dostal

Both goaltenders are still young and have recently established themselves as their team’s starting goalie. Dostal, 25, was drafted by the Ducks in 2018, and Wolf was drafted a year later. Dostal was drafted out of the Czech U20 league while Wolf was scouted out of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips.

While Dostal was a third-round pick, Wolf wasn’t picked until the seventh round. Both goalies are also on the smaller side, with both players being 6’0, but Dostal being considerably heavier.

Dostal has more NHL experience, as he’s played a total of 121 career NHL games so far. Wolf on the other hand, has yet to reach the 100-game milestone. Dostal truly established himself as a starter in the 2023-24 season, where he played 44 games. For Wolf, this season was the year, appearing in 53 games and being a Calder Trophy runner-up. Both players have a similar level of importance to their teams, as they’re expected to be the future in the net once their respective teams enter contender status.

Wolf and Dostal’s stats

When it comes to comparing these two players’ stats, Wolf’s numbers this season greatly stand out. 2024-25 was Wolf’s first year as a starter, and he made the most of it.

Player	GP	SO	GAA	W	L	OTL	SVS	SV %
Dustin Wolf (2024-25)	53	3	2.64	29	16	8	1409	0.910
Lukas Dostal (2024-25)	54	1	3.10	23	23	7	1467	0.903

While Dostal’s numbers are weaker, he played on a team that was statistically much worse. Dostal often had to come up big on a Ducks team that struggled in scoring and defence. He continues to establish his starting numbers, as they should get better once the Ducks become a better team. He’ll also get a greater workload, as the Ducks traded John Gibson this offseason as well.

As for Wolf, he was the backbone for this year’s Flames team. Without him, the Flames would’ve been a bottom-five team in the league. They struggled to score, and their defence was weak. This resulted in Wolf having the bail the team out many times throughout the season to get wins.

A look at Dostal’s contract

As mentioned, the Ducks bet on Dostal by rewarding him with a contract that pays him $6.5 million per season. The contract also includes a modified NTC in the final three years.

2025-26	$6.5 milllion
2026-27	$6.5 milllion
2027-28	$6.5 milllion (M-NTC)
2028-29	$6.5 milllion (M-NTC
2029-30	$6.5 milllion (M-NTC)

As you can see, it’s a considerable amount of money. However, given Dostal’s potential and his role with the team, the money is honestly well spent.

Given how both Wolf and Dostal are similar in age, could this be a similar contract the Flames offer to their netminder? Both goalies have risen through the ranks to become the top dogs in net, and Wolf especially has the skill to be a top 5-10 goaltender in the NHL.

Is Dostal’s contract a good comparison for Wolf’s extension?

The Flames aren’t in a rush to extend Wolf right now, but you want to get him signed when the time is right. I think Wolf has shown enough that he’ll be able to earn a nice deal from the Flames, as the team finally has that goaltender to build around.

So is Dostal’s deal a solid template to follow? If the Flames managed to sign Wolf at that same cap hit, many, including myself, would consider that a steal. I think he’ll get an AAV beyond the $7 million range. As for the term, five years wouldn’t be bad, but I feel for Wolf, you want to go 6-7 years minimum.

I would therefore say that Wolf ends up getting more term and money than Dostal. If I were to make a guess, I’d predict Wolf gets a six-year deal with an AAV of $7.25 million. Of course, I’d love it if Wolf got the full eight years, but we’ll see what happens.

Either way, it would be a nice finish to the offseason if the Flames managed to extend Wolf sooner rather than later. Maybe they wait until he shows he can keep up his dominant play before they reward him. Regardless, Wolf is a player who is going to be a key part of the Flames’ future.

This article first appeared on The Win Column and was syndicated with permission.

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