The wolf pack is sticking in Calgary for another seven years. Early Tuesday morning, the Calgary Flames announced that their star goalie has signed a seven-year, $52.5M contract extension. This deal will kick in for the 2026–27 NHL season. Wolf spent some time in Calgary over the summer, embracing the city that rallied behind him while he put their team on his back last season. The deal holds an average annual value of $7.5M. Pat Steinberg also reported that during the UFA years of the contract, Wolf will have a 10-team no-trade list.

The contract locks up another young star on the Flames for the future. Matt Coronato signed a seven-year, $45.5M contract that starts this season on May 3. More recently, Connor Zary signed a three-year bridge deal with an AAV of $3.78M on September 5. Some have been critical of Craig Conroy’s offseason; however, he has done some tidy work getting his young stars locked up.

Wolf’s NHL Career

Last season was Wolf’s rookie season, and he was outstanding. Almost single-handedly bringing the Flames into the playoffs, Wolf cemented himself as a top goalie in the NHL. At 24 years old, he posted a 29–16–8 record with a goals-against average of 2.64 and a .910 save percentage. The runner-up for the Calder Trophy, which is given out to the best rookie of the season, Wolf had a powerful case to be the winner.

When Jacob Markstrom was traded to the New Jersey Devils, some doubted whether or not he was ready. He proved the doubters wrong. He was ready to be the Flames’ number one, and he took the job and never looked back. Wolf is always looking to improve. He expects to win hockey games, and he constantly improves his game and will be poised to lead the Flames back to the promised land. This anecdote perfectly encapsulates Wolf’s mindset:

Interesting little anecdote from Ryan Huska this morning on Dustin Wolf…the dressing room leader. He was vocal after one of the St. Louis losses last season that he was responsible for the loss. #Flames
Another example: pic.twitter.com/CzrVSn4PY7

— Salim Nadim Valji (@salimvalji) September 9, 2025

Contract comparables

Wolf’s contract already looks amazing, and as he continues to grow, it will become even better. When his contract kicks in, it will take up 7.21% of the Flames’ cap space. To compare, looking back at Stanley Cup-winning goalies since 2008, seven of them have taken up more than 7.21% of their team’s cap. Marc-André Fleury (2009), Tim Thomas (2011), Jonathan Quick (2014), Corey Crawford (2015), Braden Holtby (2018), Andrei Vasilevskiy (2021), Sergei Bobrovsky (2024, 2025).

There are a couple of recent goalie contracts comparable to that of Dustin Wolf’s. The first one is Jeremy Swayman, who missed the entirety of training camp last year due to a contract holdout. The Boston Bruins netminder took over the starting job after the team moved Linus Ullmark. Swayman signed an eight-year deal with an AAV of $8.25M. After a stellar previous campaign, he didn’t live up fully to the monstrous contract, although the team in front of him didn’t help much either.

The second comparable contract is with Lukáš Dostál of the Anaheim Ducks. Another young superstar goaltender who recently signed an extension after proving their worth. Just like Wolf, Dostál stands at 6’0″, the smaller side of NHL goalies. Dostal had the weaker stats of the two this season; however, he played on a worse team with the Ducks. Dostál signed a five-year, $32.5 million contract that includes a modified no-trade clause for the final three seasons.

To get Wolf signed long-term is a win-win for both the Flames and Wolf. This team’s success or failure is going to be dependent on his performance. If he continues to put up a 0.910 save percentage or better going forward and this team continues to build around that, there is a chance this team is a Stanley Cup contender in a few years. But if Wolf falters and turns into an average or below-average goalie, it might be time to go back to the drawing board.

Overall, the contract is a smart gamble by Flames management. Wolf is a premier netminder and does a lot that other goalies don’t. He has great athleticism, positioning, agility,and power. He plays the goalie position the right way, something that is difficult to do, especially given his stature. Yet, he keeps finding ways to elevate his game at each level, winning honours everywhere he goes.

It is the largest contract for a goalie in Flames history. He will be in the top 10 of highest-paid goalies when the contract kicks in. This offseason has been one to keep the players in Calgary, and this deal does just that.

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