Flames' GM Confirms Starting Goaltending Position 'Wide Open'

After trading Jacob Markstrom to the Calgary Flames, GM Craig Conroy has three goaltenders on his roster who are all vouching for the starting nod. Conroy admits, heading into training camp next week, everything is wide open.

Conroy met with Sportsnet's Eric Francis regarding his crease and he's very intrigued to see the competition play out. "With (Jacob Markstrom) gone, the job is wide-open, and these guys know this is as good an opportunity as they're ever going to have to show what they can do and become an NHL starter," the GM told Francis. "Maybe I'm putting a lot of pressure on them, but look, they have to do what they have to do and prove, 'This is my job.'"

Daniel Vladar has the most experience and has the slight advantage into camp, however top prospect Dustin Wolf has had a ton of success at the AHL level and could push Vladar the most. Devin Cooley was also brought in and like Wolf, doesn't have a ton of experience, and played just six games with the San Jose Sharks last season. Meanwhile Wolf played 18 games last season for the Flames, going 7-7-1, and will need a strong start to the preseason to prove he can translate the AHL results into NHL wins.

"We hear where everybody puts us. ... Internally, we have a belief that we've got really good veterans, and we have some young players that want to prove themselves, and they're hungry," Conroy said."Playoffs are obviously the goal."

The Flames are in tough to make the playoff picture and it's all going to come down to getting some key saves early on this season.