Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
I agree he is probably ready to move up and should be given a chance. But I just think everyone needs to temper their expectations of a guy who's never faced elite NHL shooters.
I also think people underestimate Vladar (and Markstrom) via recency bias.
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I don't know about under estimating. Vladar is fine if not inconsistent. And last season was a myriad of blunders from every part of the team so it's hard to properly gauge any individual performance.
My perspective is built on a few things:
1. Which goaltender has the best chance of owning the net for the next decade of the 3 at the the top of the depth chart? Answer for me is Wolf.
2. Given salary cap constraints, which goaltender is the most expendable given the current situation? Answer for me is Vladar. That solves an immediate organizational issue with little to no risk as Markstrom will still get the majority of starts and Wolf has plenty of time to work on his game. And say Wolf cannot work in a pinch the Flames still have Dansk in the wing to spot fill #2 duties.
3. There's literally been no goaltender in the Flames system since...Vernon? Who has consistently obliterated every obstacle put in front of him on his March to the big show, none. That in of itself deserves merit based promotion and IMO a little more belief from the fan base of said prospect. His performance IMO is akin to players like Kaprizov who so vastly out performed on the farm they had no choice but to give him a roster spot.
4. If anyone does not believe Wolf hasn't earned his way to where he is right now, they're dead wrong. This isn't some over zealous belief that Wolf should be handed the #1 role and walk everyone else off the ice, it's just the belief that the next natural step to his progression to being the true goaltender of the Flames future lies at having the #2 spot.
Wolf makes a good young goaltender like Vladar expendable. No way around it.
We will see how training camp unfolds but I've never been so certain of any one player earning a roster spot than Wolf. He has 100 percent earned it. Throw caution to the wind on this player, let it ride. The dude has all of the right momentum going his way, all the while crashing through every other obstacle put in his way.