The Calgary Flames have found their goaltender of their future. The Flames have agreed with Dustin Wolf on a mammoth seven-year, $52.5 million extension. The 24-year-old netminder is now signed for the next eight seasons, with the deal taking effect during the 2026-27 campaign. This is also a fantastic deal for both parties involved.
The Flames finished just outside of the playoffs in 2024-25. The team had 96 points, which tied them with the St. Louis Blues, but with fewer wins, did not have the tiebreaker, and missed the playoffs. The Flames spent much of the offseason working on retaining the core that nearly made the playoffs.
They gave extensions to Adam Klapka, Kevin Bahl, Sam Morton, Morgan Frost, and Connor Zary. They have continued to keep this group intact by extending Wolf. This is also a team set up for the long term. Matt Coronato is just 22 years old and is signed through the 2031-32 season. Zary is just 23 and will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2028. Bahl is 25 years old and signed until the summer of 2031. Now they add a 24-year-old netminder to that list of long-term young players.
Flames' Dustin Wolf is a star in the making
Wolf was the No. 214 overall pick of the 2018 NHL draft by the Flames. That made him the 19th goaltender taken in the draft. Of the 18 netminders taken in front of Wolf, only five of them have seen time at the NHL level. Moreover, three of the goaltenders have combined to play just 22 games in the NHL.
Wolf has far exceeded the expectations of a late-seventh-round pick. Last season, not only was he second in voting for the Calder Trophy, but he also finished 15th in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, given to the league MVP. Only one goaltender had more votes than him. That was Connor Hellebuyck, who won the award.
Wolf first got his taste of NHL experience in 2022-23, starting one game and stopping 23 of 24 shots in a winning effort. The next season, he would appear in 17 games with 15 starts, but was not as solid. He was just 7-7-1 with a 3.16 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage.
He broke out in 2024-25, becoming the primary goaltender for the Flames. The American started 53 games, going 29-16-8 with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. He also had three shutouts during the season. He did all of this with a penalty kill unit that struggled last year, sitting 25th in the NHL.
With Dan Vladar now with the Philadelphia Flyers, Wolf will continue to see plenty of starts this upcoming season. He now looks to build on his success. Of teams with a goaltender who ranked in the top 10 in goals-against average, while also starting over half of the team's games, nine of them made the playoffs. Meanwhile, of the teams with a goaltender in the top 10 in save percentage who started the majority of their games, nine of them made the playoffs as well. The only miss was Wolf. If he can continue his growth and success, Calgary will be a playoff team in 2025-26.
Final thoughts and grade on the Dustin Wolf contract
For the Flames, they are getting a top-quality goaltender. While he was second in voting for the rookie of the year award, Lane Hutson won the Calder Trophy after a historic season for a rookie defenseman. Wolf was great in 2024-25. He finished 16th in the NHL in GAA, but 11th among netminders who played 50 or more games. Furthermore, Wolf was ninth in the NHL in save percentage and sixth among goalies with 50 or more games played.
The only potential issue is that Wolf will take a step back in 2025-26, but with the salary cap set to continue to rise, this is a very solid pact for their franchise cornerstone either way. If he continues to improve at the NHL level, this will look like a steal for both sides.
Wolf is also still young. He may not have yet hit his peak and has multiple solid years ahead of him. This contract will pay $7.5 million AAV, which will place him 10th in the NHL among goaltenders in AAV. For a player who is already playing near a top-10 level, and with time to improve, this was an amazing deal.
Wolf also got a great deal out of this. To begin with, he gets stability with an organization that looks to contend. He will be with the franchise through the 2032-33 season, when he will be 32 years old. This means he could still get one more solid payday. He also got a massive pay raise. This upcoming season, he will make just $850,000. Then, he will get a nearly $7 million per year pay raise. This is a terrific deal for him as well, as he steps into the role of goaltender of the present and future.
Calgary Flames contract grade: A-
Dustin Wolf contract grade: A
