Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames is many things, but unfortunately, he is still often looked over when discussing the league's best goaltenders. Often times, the attention rightly goes to Western Conference counterparts like Connor Hellebuyck or Jake Oettinger, or Eastern Conference stars with Stanley Cups under their belt such as Sergei Bobrovsky or Andrei Vasilevskiy. Part of this is because Wolf was only a rookie last season, or because his Flames just missed the kind of playoff series that may have brought more eyeballs to his game.
However, Wolf did earn a look for the Calder Trophy last season but eventually lost out to Montreal's Lane Hutson. Had for instance Wolf's teammates provided the kind of late season surge that Hutson's did to put Montreal into the playoffs, it's safe to assume that minds would have been changed, even if such consideration is unfair. After all, Wolf carried the Flames last season, posting a 29-16-8 record across 53 games with a 2.64 GAA and a .910 save percentage.
These are gaudy numbers for a rookie on a team that wasn't supposed to perform well, but it shouldn't be surprising. The year before in the American Hockey League, Wolf went 622-22-5, including 11 shutouts, with a 2.24 GAA and a .928 save percentage.
There's no question that he's performed exceedingly well over the last three seasons. The only questions left are can Wolf do it for a second consecutive NHL campaign and can he do it in a playoff run. For the latter to happen, he and the Flames will need to compete hard again in a Western Conference that will again have a crowded Wild Card Race. They'll also need to provide Wolf with more scoring in front of him.
Next season could also be a big one for Wolf in the international sphere. At first glance, the Gilroy, California native is probably fifth on a hypothetical Team USA Olympic depth chart behind Hellebuyck, Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman, and Thatcher Demko. Should an injury occur or should an opt out occur, I'd expect Dustin Wolf to be considered.
But whether it's Calgary or Milano-Cortina, the NHL world needs to stop sleeping on Dustin Wolf.