Dan Vladar

Vladar had stretches as the Flames' starter in 2022-23, but he wasn't able to take the job away from Jacob Markstrom altogether. In the end, their ratios ended up about the same, with Vladar posting a 2.91 GAA and an .892 save percentage while going 14-6-5 in 27 appearances. The 25-year-old is in a tricky position -- he's shown enough to stay in the NHL, but his contract would be easier for many teams to acquire rather than pursuing Markstrom. The Flames may want Dustin Wolf to get NHL minutes this year, so Vladar's no lock to immediately step into the starting role if Markstrom gets hurt, assuming the team doesn't make a significant trade. Until more playing-time clarity emerges, Vladar's fantasy value is likely limited to deep formats.

Serving as the backup to workhorse starter and Vezina finalist Jacob Markstrom, Vladar appeared in 23 games for Calgary a season ago. His 13-6-2 record, 2.75 GAA and .906 save percentage were all perfectly reasonable marks for a guy who entered the year with all of five NHL games under his belt. The Flames would likely have to make a trade if Markstrom was forced to miss a significant amount of time, but Vladar proved to be a perfectly capable backup for the club, a role he will reprise in 2022-23. Vladar will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.

The emergence of Jeremy Swayman as a high-level prospect allowed the Bruins to ship Vladar to Calgary this past July in exchange for a third-round pick. It's an odd trade considering Vladar is still just 24 years old, but Boston is clearly comfortable with its organizational depth in net. Swayman spent the majority of last year in the AHL where he played well (2.19 GAA, .923 save percentage). Vladar wasn't as successful (3.40 GAA, .886 save percentage) in a brief five-game run with the Bruins. Vladar is the current leader in the Calgary clubhouse to serve as Jacob Markstrom's backup this season, but his fantasy upside remains extremely limited. The Flames would almost certainly bring in help from the outside to assist Vladar if Markstrom suffered any sort of serious injury.