It seems general manager Craig Conroy decided to do all of his work at the end of the summer. Just a couple of days after re-signing Connor Zary, the Flames announced they’ve signed starting goaltender and Calder runner-up Dustin Wolf to a massive seven-year extension. The contract carries an AAV of $7.5M a year.
Breaking down the numbers
Dustin Wolf’s contract officially becomes the largest in franchise history for a goaltender, as both the term and the AAV are franchise records for a netminder. The previous biggest deal belonged to Jacob Markstrom, who signed a six-year, $6M AAV contract in free agency back in 2020. In fact, the deal is the second-largest in franchise history among any position, behind only Johnathan Huberdeau’s current contract.
Wolf now becomes the second-highest paid player on the Flames behind, of course, Huberdeau. In terms of Wolf’s status across the NHL, he’s currently slated to be the 10th-highest-paid active goaltender in the NHL to start the 2026–27 season.
A gamble worth taking
There’s no doubt this contract is a huge gamble. As we all know, goaltenders are voodoo. With that said, the Flames haven’t had a young goaltender with this much promise or excitement since Miikka Kiprusoff over two decades ago. Getting a 24-year-old Wolf locked down through his prime could pay off massively for the Flames as the cap continues to rise. Having their goaltending situation settled for what should be the next eight years is a huge win for the organization and a luxury they haven’t had in a long time.
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