Four reasons the Calgary Flames need to trade Jacob Markstrom this summer
By Nathan Smith
Dustin Wolf is the future and the present of the Calgary Flames
The final reason why the Flames need to make this move right now is Dustin Wolf, who showed at the end of the season that he can potentially be a great goaltender for them in the future. His size will always be a question mark, but simply put, Wolf has done everything he can do at the AHL level, and there's nothing more for him to prove.
Unless the Flames give him significant playing time in the NHL next season, one of the teams brightest prospects could look to leave the organization, so 2024 is the time to give him the starting role, for better or for worse. As we all know, goaltenders take time to adjust at the NHL level when they are young, so things may get rough with Wolf starting the entire season, but he's shown flashes of being a star, and the team won't know how good he can be unless they give him a shot.
The Flames have some talented skaters coming through the pipeline, but no one can effect this team at the NHL level with development more than Dustin Wolf, so for this reason and all the others, the Flames need to move Markstrom either before the draft or when free agency begins.