Flames activate top goaltender

The Calgary Flames have activated netminder Jacob Markstrom off of injured reserve. In corresponding moves, defenseman Ilya Solovyov and netminder Dustin Wolf have been reassigned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

Markstrom has been out of the Flames’ lineup since Dec. 2, but when healthy he’s been the team’s undisputed number-one goalie. Now that his broken finger has recovered enough to allow him to play, Markstrom will resume that number-one role for the Flames.

He hasn’t been in strong form for over a year, but as recently as 2021-22 he posted a .922 save percentage in 63 games played. At his best, Markstrom can be one of the league’s best goalies, and the Flames need him to play like that if they want to re-enter the Western Conference playoff picture.

Heading back to the AHL is Wolf, one of the league’s top goalie prospects. He’s absolutely dominated that level over the course of the last two seasons, but hasn’t quite found his footing in the NHL yet.

As for Solovyov, he made his NHL debut this season at the age of 23. The 2020 seventh-round pick has averaged 14:59 in his six games of NHL experience this season and has registered two assists.