Which Flames Goalie Has Better Chance To Separate Himself From Split Starts?

There's no doubt the Calgary Flames' fan favorite for goaltender of the future is Dustin Wolf. But the time share with Dan Vladar has been somewhat skewed this season, making that outcry even louder than expected.

Flames head coach Ryan Huska has eased Wolf into his first full NHL season, giving the rookie more home starts and matchups against weaker opponents. Vladar has played more on the road and taken on tougher teams through the first few months of the season — and his numbers have suffered some as a result.

This isn't to say Vladar is a better goaltender than Wolf, or that the Calder candidate is in any way underserving of the accolades and excitement. Wolf's numbers are stellar. Vladar's are not.

After a home loss to the Utah Hockey Club this week, Vladar has a 6-8-5 record with a 3.08 goals against average and an .888 save percentage. Meanwhile, Wolf owns a 12-6-2 record with a 2.63 GAA and .913 save percentage. The 23-year-old rookie also ranks among the top netminders at five-on-five saves above expected this season.

However, hockey is about to get much harder for the Flames. As teams begin to separate themselves over the second half of the season, there will likely be more nights like Saturday's loss to the Nashville Predators — with Wolf occasionally still looking like a rookie.

Although Wolf had a heavy workload in the AHL with the Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers, he spent a significant amount of time watching with the Flames last season and there may be a hesitancy to push things unnecessarily — in spite of how negatively some fans feel about the split crease.

“I think it’s worked well, to date,” Huska told reporters last week. “I think both guys have been good for us. They have given us chances to win. I think as we keep going, you’ll probably see — if there is some separation between one or the other guy — that someone is going to get a little more regular starts.

“I’m not saying you’re going to run a guy for 15 games, but two-of-three is most certainly something that we will start to look at.”

Assumption is that Wolf will at some point carry more of the goaltending burden. That would ramp up significantly if Vladar, an impending unrestricted free agent, gets dealt before the NHL trade deadline. But as long as Vladar is around, Huska can continue to develop Wolf's NHL game at a comfortable pace.

Related: Insider Reveals Cost for Former Cup Champions to Trade for Dan Vladar