At some point this season, the Calgary Flames are going to have to make a decision on Dan Vladar’s future.
The 27-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent. His most likely replacement is waiting in the wings with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers with Devin Cooley sitting on a contract that converts to a one-way NHL deal next season. And for months there has been plenty of chatter that Vladar was a possible Flames trade candidate.
Unfortunately, now relegated to the role of backup behind Calder candidate Dustin Wolf, Vladar may no longer have significant value as the trade deadline approaches.
Cooley has been stellar with the Wranglers, posting a .925 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average and earning an all-star appearance with an 18-9-2 record and three shutouts.
The Calgary Flames originally picked Vladar up in a trade with the Boston Bruins for a 2022 third-round pick. They’d like to get the same or better in a return this year, but that is likely unrealistic given the goalie’s statistics and results this season.
With the Flames giving Vladar the tougher starts through the first half of the season, and all the second halves of the back-to-back scenarios, the veteran owns a 7-10-5 record with an inflated 3.07 GAA and meager .888 save percentage.
In contrast with Wolf’s .912 SP% and 2.63 GAA, those numbers will limit Vladar’s value on the trade market.
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Teams that were interested earlier in the year may circle back given the importance of depth at the position, but their offers will be much more tempered now.
If Flames GM Craig Conroy determines the offers are too low, they may ride with Vladar as the backup the rest of the way and hope he can provide more appearances like his 29-save showing in his last start in Seattle when he gets the opportunity to spell Wolf down the stretch during the playoff race.
It’s unlikely Vladar gets more of an opportunity to play between the Flames’ return from the 4-Nations Face-off break and the March 7 NHL trade deadline, so the window to deal Vladar away at his peak value has certainly passed.
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