Flames Sign David Wolf (And Other Stuff)

The Flames have added some beef, as the team has added German winger David Wolf to a one-year contract.

Wolf, 24, was signed to the max entry-level contract length he can be under the CBA (1 year), and it has a cap hit of $925,000. His best attribute is his size (and meanness), as he’s listed as 6’3″, 215 pounds.

He makes the leap to North America after five years in the DEL, the main German league, playing with the Hannover Scorpions and the Hamburg Freezers. He amassed 128 points and 552 penalty minutes in 248 DEL games. He’s represented Germany at the World Under-18s and the World Juniors previously.

Before you panic, remember: it’s a two-way deal, and he’s never been out of Germany. This is probably an AHL move and if he’s decent, they can extend him. Players with size and a reputation for being tough customers now include Wolf, Bryce van Brabant, Michael Ferland and maybe Patrick Sieloff.

Anyhow, it’s a one-year deal, and one contract out of 50. It’s quite low-risk. The Flames presently have 34 players under contract for 2014-15.

Sven Baertschi broke a rib in Switzerland’s opening World Championship game and will miss the rest of the tournament. Johnny Gaudreau (USA), Jiri Hudler (Czechs), Mikael Backlund (Sweden) and Sean Monahan (Canada) all remain in Belarus for the Worlds.

Former Flame Roman Horak is headed to the KHL, signing with HC Vityaz. He’s a pending restricted free agent of the Edmonton Oilers, and him signing elsewhere this early suggests a doubt somewhere that he could be in the NHL with them next year. Horak’s been in North America for five seasons – two with WHL Chilliwack, and three years pro between Calgary, Edmonton, Abbotsford and Oklahoma City.