The big question for the Calgary Flames heading into the 2024-25 season was whether or not rookie netminder Dustin Wolf could adjust to full-time NHL action.
The answer to that question has been an unabashed “yes,” and as a result the Flames have been thrust into the post-season picture and Wolf has become one of the best stories in the entire NHL.
Over at Daily Faceoff, our pal Scott Maxwell published an extensive piece on Wolf’s season and emergence as a top-flight NHL starting netminder.
Among the topics covered was Wolf’s challenging 2o23-24 campaign, one that saw the defending American Hockey League most valuable player bounce between that league and the NHL as an injury replacement for Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar. He ended up spending about a third of the season with the big club, but not all in one chunk, so it wasn’t an entirely smooth season for him.
“You’re bouncing back and forth, playing some games up, playing some games down,” Wolf said. “It was always an adjustment period every time where you go from the best league in the world to a level that’s still very, very good, but you still have a lot of young players that are still trying to develop.”Now that he’s at the NHL level full-time, it shows how important just being in one place is for him. Not only has he had an excellent seasons by the standards of a rookie goaltender in the NHL, he’s been playing like one of the best goaltenders in the league.
Maxwell also delved into Wolf’s Calder Trophy candidacy. It’s noted that both Wolf and Montreal blueliner Lane Hutson are distinguished from their fellow top rookies by playing on teams that are pushing for playoff spots.
“It’d definitely be cool [to win the Calder],” Wolf said. “The main goal right now is to keep fighting to get into the playoffs. If we do get in, that would probably help my odds. But at the end of the day, I’m trying to keep as many pucks out of my net as I can, and if people watch me play and believe that I’m doing an excellent job as a first-year guy, then I’d certainly be blessed to receive it.”
And yeah, Maxwell dug into how much of an absolute difference-maker Wolf has been for the Flames this season.
What’s kept the Flames in the race in spite of the poor underlying numbers has been their goaltending, which ranks second in the league in team SV% at 5v5 with .927. And it’s something a lot of Wolf’s team recognizes and appreciates.“There’s been nights this year where he’s allowed our team to get our feet underneath us when we weren’t playing at our best,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “I think he’s showed his teammates more so than anything that, ‘I can do this, I’ve got your back.’ “
Head on over to Daily Faceoff to check out the entire piece. Wolf and the Flames continue their eastern road swing with visits to New Jersey on Thursday and the New York Islanders on Saturday.
Sponsored by bet365:
