What does the Flames future hold for netminder Dan Vladar?

When it comes to the Calgary Flames, after the 2024-25 season we know one thing for sure: Dustin Wolf is going to be between the pipes for the foreseeable future in pretty much every important game.

Something that’s a lot less clear is who his backup will be going forward.

So earlier this week, two related things happened that could impact the Flames – or perhaps, at the very least, are a reflection of their goaltending situation. On Tuesday, CSKA Moskva of the Kontinental Hockey League announced that they’ve released Ivan Prosvetov from his contract. On Thursday, Russian outlet Sport-Express reported that the Flames were “the main contender” to sign Prosvetov.

On Thursday’s edition of Flames Talk on Sportsnet 960 The Fan, host Pat Steinberg and co-host Wes Gilbertson chatted about what exactly this all means for the Flames’ goaltending set-up for 2025-26.

“From what I understand, the Flames are in the mix on this guy,” said Steinberg, regarding Prosvetov. “But by no means is anything signed, sealed or delivered at this point. But I think where there’s smoke there’s fire when it comes to them being in the mix.”

According to Steinberg, the Flames are in pursuit of Prosvetov, but they’re not the only team in the mix.

Now, if you’re keeping track, you’re probably thinking that if the Flames add someone like Prosvetov to the fold, that probably means that someone else is departing. After all, incumbent Flames backup Dan Vladar is a pending unrestricted free agent.

“The Flames would like Dan Vladar back in the fold next year,” said Steinberg. “If they had their way, I think the Flames, their number-one choice would be to have Dan Vladar as their tandem-mate for Dustin Wolf next year.”

Vladar didn’t have spectacular stats last season, but he served as an excellent foil for Wolf, taking on some tough assignments – especially early in the year – which allowed Wolf to really find his rhythm in the NHL in the back half of the season. Vladar, in sporadic usage in the final third of the season, saw a big uptick in his numbers and won some big games down the stretch. You can understand why the Flames would want Vladar to return.

Steinberg and Gilberton made some parallels to the Oliver Kylington situation last summer in regards to what’s happening with the Vladar discussions. A year ago, the Flames definitely wanted Kylington back and made several offers, but when Kylington seemed interested in exploring other opportunities, the Flames ended up pivoting to their contingency plan and added Jake Bean.

So while the chatter regarding Prosvetov might not guarantee (a) that they sign him or (b) that Vladar departs, the club seems to be exploring their options in regards to having a contingency plan for the most important position on the team. Plan A would be to keep Vladar, but Plan B would involve a bit more potential variability.

“I think that the plan would be, and the plan all along has been, if the Flames don’t bring Vladar back for whatever reason, then they would go out, get another external goalie, and have that goalie and Devin Cooley battle it out for Dustin Wolf’s backup next year,” explained Steinberg.

As of this writing, the Flames have four goaltenders under NHL deals for the 2025-26 season:

• Incumbent starter Dustin Wolf, who had an excellent 2024-25 season
• AHL starter Devin Cooley, who had a rough second half of the 2024-25 season
• College free agent signing Owen Say, who’s going to be playing his first pro season
• Draft choice Arsenii Sergeev, who’s also going to be playing his first pro season

It’s worth noting that since they’re on entry-level deals, Say and Sergeev can both be moved to the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush as needed to get playing time, if they’re not getting into a ton of games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

When it comes to contracts, it obviously takes two to tango. We’ll see if Vladar and the Flames can come to an agreement on a deal that extends Vladar’s time in Calgary, or if we see a new face working with Wolf when the 2025-26 season begins.