Player Discussion Dustin Wolf

[Yepthatsme]

No what he did was impressive regardless of age wolf played in 55 games Vlad only played 25 games that year and wasn't the starter

I honestly can’t believe how often I keep having to say this, but it’s the AHL. Let’s play a game. Of the previous 10 AHL MVP winners, who played the most games in the NHL last season?

Spoiler: it was Wolf.

His seasons were extremely impressive because he shouldn’t be as good as he his this young (also because of the extreme consistency he has had). He has crazy room for growth left, and he’s way ahead of where a goalie his age should be already. In a vacuum, being the best in the AHL puts him in the same vaunted group skill wise as TJ Tynan, Kenny Agostino, and Daniel Carr. The AHL is closer to Europe in Quality than it is the NHL.

For all the clamoring about how the Flames ruin or mishandle prospects, so many people want a throw him into the fire approach. Trading a goalie away at minimum guarantees Wolf 20 starts whether he proves ready or not. Oettinger is pretty much the only success story I can think of right now for that method with a blue chip goalie prospect. Hart, Knight, Murray all had their development paths shattered by the “you’re in the NHL now, adapt or die” route.

 

[Mobiandi]

The only argument against Wolf with the big club is shielding him from our terrible goaltending coaching department

 

[Boomstick]

Officially starting tonight in Ottawa.
Let's go Wolf, let's go Flames.

Wolf Gets The Nod In Net | Calgary Flames

Two-time AHL Goalie of the Year looking to build on a hot start with the Wranglers

www.nhl.com

 

[deleted user]

Great news, man. Let's go.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

The Prince has arrived!

 

[flames23]

Stoked. Now let's not hang him out to dry and play a complete game tonight. I'm feeling Wolfy.

 

[Boomstick]

I'm loving this youth movement.
I can't wait until Pelts is healthy.
I also want Coronato back up.

 

[deleted user]

My thoughts exactly. They need to step up and make sure he gets all the run support. He's gotta be stooooooked.

I'm loving this youth movement.
I can't wait until Pelts is healthy.
I also want Coronato back up.

Pelts definitely is going to be amazing to see return. Hopefully he got the injury bug early and he'll have a great career without seeing a lot of them.

 

[super6646]

The Prince has arrived!

He is feared by opposing teams but loved by us… Machiavelli would be crying if he saw it today.

 

[Rubi]

Who knows... maybe the Flames will try hard to play well in front of him tonight

 

[Kranix]

Sent back down to the wranglers. He should ask for a trade now. Unbelievable

 

[Iggys Dome]

Sent back down to the wranglers. He should ask for a trade now. Unbelievable

No point throwing him behind the shit show we have in the NHL. Let him continue to cook in the AHL.

I’m more than okay letting him stay in the AHL for the rest of the season. I don’t feel like we get anything out of rushing him into the NHL where his confidence will just get shattered playing behind this tire fire.

 

[Figgy44]

Sent back down to the wranglers. He should ask for a trade now. Unbelievable

Conditioning stint.

I'm sure he'll be back to play more games as the season goes on.

 

[Kranix]

No point throwing him behind the shit show we have in the NHL. Let him continue to cook in the AHL.

I’m more than okay letting him stay in the AHL for the rest of the season. I don’t feel like we get anything out of rushing him into the NHL where his confidence will just get shattered playing behind this tire fire.

He's being totally disrespected. Frankly, Markstrom should have sat himself and not come back from injury, to pass the torch.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

He’s so much better than Vladar and Markstrom is playing well but there are some serious flaws in his technique that will start to get exploited.

Tainting the one elite player we have on the organization. Such a Flames thing to do.

 

[Evgeny Oliker]

No point throwing him behind the shit show we have in the NHL. Let him continue to cook in the AHL.

I’m more than okay letting him stay in the AHL for the rest of the season. I don’t feel like we get anything out of rushing him into the NHL where his confidence will just get shattered playing behind this tire fire.

Exactly what does Wolf have to learn in AHL? Have you seen his AHL stats?

He’s had 2 seasons in AHL and did nothing but dominate.

 

[TheHudlinator]

Exactly what does Wolf have to learn in AHL? Have you seen his AHL stats?

He’s had 2 seasons in AHL and did nothing but dominate.

The truth is he has literally nothing to prove or learn in the ahl but we are going Vlad finds his game so we can flip him for a pick. Seems stupid to many of us but that's the reality of the situation.

 

[Qubax]

We'll trade Vladar with 20-30 games left and Wolf will play atleast half of those down the stretch.

The Flames won't find value in their RFAs or trade assets until closer to the trade deadline

 

[Evgeny Oliker]

The truth is he has literally nothing to prove or learn in the ahl but we are going Vlad finds his game so we can flip him for a pick. Seems stupid to many of us but that's the reality of the situation.

Vlad has negative value given his cap hit and performance. That won’t change while he plays in front of Calgary this season.

 

[Backlund]

Sent back down to the wranglers. He should ask for a trade now. Unbelievable

Can't carry 3 goalies forever. And do you honestly want him around these guys for a prolonged period? He can come back up once they're gone.

 

[Anglesmith]

Vlad has negative value given his cap hit and performance. That won’t change while he plays in front of Calgary this season.

If that was the perception, he would be sent down I think. The fact that they are keeping him up and yo-yoing Wolf seems to indicate that they do believe he would be claimed (which implies non-negative value).

 

[Anglesmith]

Sent back down to the wranglers. He should ask for a trade now. Unbelievable

It's hard to discern who is being ironic at this point, but you guys all realize that Markstrom would have been absolutely skewered if he allowed that fourth goal against Ottawa... right?

Like, he had a game where he made a bunch of good saves, but there were bad bounces, deflections and an undefended tic tac toe and then one very stoppable one. Ottawa had an expected goals just shy of 3.

Last year this board was adamant that quality of chances aside, our goalie should be expected to save some of those breakdowns. That saves made don't matter if you're letting four goals in. That if a save percentage just over .900 was a good game for you then it was a problem. We were very sure that having negative goals saved above average was iron-clad proof that the goaltending was an issue. And yet, here we are brimming with confirmation bias thinking Wolf had an outstanding game and deserves to be the #1 starter instead of the other two guys who were both also AHL beasts. (By the way, I also believe Wolf played well enough to be considered a solid NHL goalie option who belongs at this level).

End of the day, Wolf is our second-best goalie currently, is the youngest goalie to start in the NHL this season, and is being blocked from the backup crease by the Flames trying to be patient with asset management. The sky is not falling.

Again, I take it all back if you were being ironic and I bit hard.

 

[Lunatik]

It's hard to discern who is being ironic at this point, but you guys all realize that Markstrom would have been absolutely skewered if he allowed that fourth goal against Ottawa... right?

Like, he had a game where he made a bunch of good saves, but there were bad bounces, deflections and an undefended tic tac toe and then one very stoppable one. Ottawa had an expected goals just shy of 3.

Last year this board was adamant that quality of chances aside, our goalie should be expected to save some of those breakdowns. That saves made don't matter if you're letting four goals in. That if a save percentage just over .900 was a good game for you then it was a problem. We were very sure that having negative goals saved above average was iron-clad proof that the goaltending was an issue. And yet, here we are brimming with confirmation bias thinking Wolf had an outstanding game and deserves to be the #1 starter instead of the other two guys who were both also AHL beasts. (By the way, I also believe Wolf played well enough to be considered a solid NHL goalie option who belongs at this level).

End of the day, Wolf is our second-best goalie currently, is the youngest goalie to start in the NHL this season, and is being blocked from the backup crease by the Flames trying to be patient with asset management. The sky is not falling.

Again, I take it all back if you were being ironic and I bit hard.

Great post

 

[TheHudlinator]

It's hard to discern who is being ironic at this point, but you guys all realize that Markstrom would have been absolutely skewered if he allowed that fourth goal against Ottawa... right?

Like, he had a game where he made a bunch of good saves, but there were bad bounces, deflections and an undefended tic tac toe and then one very stoppable one. Ottawa had an expected goals just shy of 3.

Last year this board was adamant that quality of chances aside, our goalie should be expected to save some of those breakdowns. That saves made don't matter if you're letting four goals in. That if a save percentage just over .900 was a good game for you then it was a problem. We were very sure that having negative goals saved above average was iron-clad proof that the goaltending was an issue. And yet, here we are brimming with confirmation bias thinking Wolf had an outstanding game and deserves to be the #1 starter instead of the other two guys who were both also AHL beasts. (By the way, I also believe Wolf played well enough to be considered a solid NHL goalie option who belongs at this level).

End of the day, Wolf is our second-best goalie currently, is the youngest goalie to start in the NHL this season, and is being blocked from the backup crease by the Flames trying to be patient with asset management. The sky is not falling.

Again, I take it all back if you were being ironic and I bit hard.

He is being sarcastic but at the end of day Wolf having basically 0 practice time with the team playing on a back to back and then having the team play pretty poorly in front of him of course we will give him the benefit of the doubt. Mistakes happen and he has to make them to learn. But there is a massive difference between Wolf making a mistake and Vlad making one. Vlad has had several years in the league and statistically gotten worse each year here which in its self isn't overly surprising given the change in roster but he is visually making more mistakes then he was a few years ago which is worrying.

At a certain point we need to stop using vlads good 35ish games in the ahl from discounting the fact that Wolf already has over 110 good ahl games and he is getting to the point where the speed and skill of the ahl isn't enough to challenge him to grow and we need to give him a real run with nhl practices, games, and of course mistakes to take the next step.

 

[Figgy44]

He is being sarcastic but at the end of day Wolf having basically 0 practice time with the team playing on a back to back and then having the team play pretty poorly in front of him of course we will give him the benefit of the doubt. Mistakes happen and he has to make them to learn. But there is a massive difference between Wolf making a mistake and Vlad making one. Vlad has had several years in the league and statistically gotten worse each year here which in its self isn't overly surprising given the change in roster but he is visually making more mistakes then he was a few years ago which is worrying.

At a certain point we need to stop using vlads good 35ish games in the ahl from discounting the fact that Wolf already has over 110 good ahl games and he is getting to the point where the speed and skill of the ahl isn't enough to challenge him to grow and we need to give him a real run with nhl practices, games, and of course mistakes to take the next step.

For goalies, I think typically you want to ease prospects by giving them limited exposure a little bit at a time. Basically you put them in, let them see NHL speed and power for an hour or two and then give them a bird's eye view of what happened so that they can fine tune the identified issues in the AHL. What you don't want to do is let them drown in a manner where bad panic habits start to develop which end up taking over a passable talent.

We saw this with Dubnyk until Burke fixed him in Arizon, we saw it with Rittich (not fixed), Markstrom's career went that direction till Clark and I'm wondering if there's some of this going on with Vladar right now.

You can override a goalie's talent into a complete mess. Look at what's going on with Campbell right now. Dude is getting wrecked even at the AHL level. His save percentage in the AHL is worse than the NHL. We had a front row seat for a roller coaster goalie grave yard for almost a decade. Did people forget that already? We don't want that to happen with our goalies.

Wolf is talented, but he can get messed up. Look no further than what's going on with Levi in Buffalo right now. Saros was 21 when he got 21 games. Age 22 he got 26, but he still did play games in the AHL for that season. And this is a scenario where his development wasn't affected by pandemic related shut downs and restrictions. I posited in a different post that all goalies of Wolf's developmental arc/age are possibly 12-18 months behind a normal goalie developed to around age 23-24 prior to the pandemic.

Levi and Wolf are age 21 and 22 right now, but if comparing to the environment and scenario that Saros had, it's possible that Levi and Wolf are closer to Saro's age 19 and 20 development arc right now. It's OK to ease them in IMO.

Wolf didn't win that game. I'd give him a few week to work on a few things in the AHL, then bring him up again probably to get a bird's eye view for a game or two, then see if he can string a few wins in a row without bad habits. I'd send him down if he loses two in a row or has a bad showing, give him a few weeks then bring him up again.