The Calgary Flames have determined their backup plan.
Ivan Prosvetov was on the NHL’s waiver wire Thursday, a necessity so he can be assigned to the AHL’s Wranglers.
That means that Devin Cooley will start the season as the Flames’ second-string goaltender behind Dustin Wolf.
The 28-year-old Cooley has so far logged only six career appearances in the NHL spotlight. This marks the first time that he’s claimed an opening-night gig.
“Now, the work really begins. You never take your foot off the gas,” Cooley beamed after Thursday’s practice at the Saddledome. “It’s an amazing opportunity and I’m really grateful and I’m definitely not going to take it for granted. Every day that you can spend in this league and especially wearing the C and playing for the city of Calgary, it’s just an absolute honour and I’m really excited.”
The Flames’ other positional battles also came into focus with Thursday’s waiver news.
Forward Rory Kerins and defenceman Ilya Solovyov will be demoted to the Wranglers as long as they clear, which is good news for both Matvei Gridin and Zayne Parekh as those teenagers try to clinch a spot on the opening roster.
Once Prosvetov, Kerins and Solovyov are officially dispatched, the Flames will have 24 players remaining in training camp. By Monday, they must whittle that number to 23.
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There could still be a couple of roster wrinkles, but the pecking order among their puck-stoppers seems to be set.
Cooley certainly didn’t shine in three pre-season appearances, struggling to a 4.08 goals-against average and .846 save percentage, but there’s more comfort and familiarity with his game as he enters his second season in the organization. He was an AHL all-star last winter.
It should be noted that Prosvetov’s exhibition stats were also shaky. The free-agent signing posted a 3.96 GAA and .875 save percentage in three starts this fall.
While Prosvetov had several suitors this summer after opting out of his contract in the KHL, those numbers will likely cool any interest on waivers.
Calgary Flames goalie Ivan Prosvetov is scored on by Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser in pre-season action at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.
“It wasn’t my best. I can be sooo much better,” said Cooley, who allowed three goals on seven shots during Wednesday’s 8-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, of his own pre-season performance. “The great thing about that though is the mistakes that I made are very simple mistakes and mistakes I know exactly how to fix.
“It’s not like, ’Shoot, I don’t know how that went in’ or ‘Man, I don’t know how I didn’t do that’ or blah blah. It’s more like, ‘OK, I know exactly what I need to do for next time. I’m not going to make that same mistake again.’
“I know exactly how I need to play in every single situation and that gives me all the confidence in the world that I know if I can execute at a high level, which you have to in this league every single day, I think I can be a really great goalie in this league and a really good supportive partner for Wolfie.”
Will Kerins clear?
The Flames are certainly taking a risk by exposing Kerins to waivers.
Point-producing centres don’t grow on trees, so it wouldn’t be a shocker if this 23-year-old lefty is claimed by Friday’s deadline. That news, whether good or bad, will drop at noon MT.
Kerins was tapped for six exhibition auditions, notching a goal and three assists. Among Calgary’s campers, only Morgan Frost has managed more points in this pre-season.
So why is Kerins about to be cut?
That answer starts with Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri and Frost, all entrenched up the middle.
Calgary Flames forward Rory Kerins during warm-ups before taking on the Seattle Kraken in preseason NHL action at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025.
There are still questions about Kerins’ pace, which popped up again when he wasn’t able to disrupt a pass to Canucks defenceman Derek Forbort as he backchecked Wednesday. Forbort wound up scoring a shortie on that sequence.
“With Rory, if there’s one guy that’s come the furthest, it’s probably him with our organization,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska of Kerins, who piled up 61 points last season as the Wranglers’ first-line centre. “But I feel it’s important with Rory that we look at him as a top-nine guy, and that’s where he has to play. Right now, down the middle of the ice, we have some older players there. And we want to make sure that when Rory is here, he’s not in and out, in and out, in and out. He has to be able to contribute on a daily basis, so getting him playing was important for us.
“But there’s a lot of fluidity now where it may not be for long.”
In addition to that fluidity, there should be some nail-biting during the 24-hour waiver period.
Rather than reporting to the Wranglers, could Kerins suddenly become a Shark or a Sabre or a Penguin? We’ll find out Thursday.