The Daily: Flames Winning With Sub-Par Goaltending, NHL Trade Rumours in Montreal

The Calgary Flames are 3-1 to start the season but there is one glaring area for improvement. The goaltending has had a bend not break approach so far. But after signing Dan Vladar to a two-year extension to reward him for his stellar preseason and development, the tandem was supposed to be tops in the NHL. It hasn’t been. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens are looking for defencemen on the NHL trade market and the reverse retro jerseys are still being talked about across the continent.

With the powerhouse Carolina Hurricanes coming to town tonight, the Calgary Flames have another tough opponent to stare down. And neither Vladar nor No. 1 goaltender Jacob Markstrom have been magnificent so far. They’ve got the job done and made important saves in later stages of the game to keep the team on the winning side in three of four. But it’s fair to at least ask the question: Is there a goalie problem in Calgary?

Head coach Darryl Sutter has said he wants to start Vladar more this season. It should keep Markstrom fresh. But will it also take some of his rhythm away? We’ll find out as we go but the MoneyPuck graphic on the top goalies from an expected goals against perspective is really lacking on the Flames front.

There is a real lack of Flames here so far. https://t.co/XmFPeR4jS6

— Steve Macfarlane (@MacfarlaneHKY) October 22, 2022

Canada Hockey Now

MTL: The Montreal Canadiens are looking for a veteran right-shot defenceman, and according to one NHL source, the Los Angeles Kings are looking to deal one; making them perfect trade partners.

National Hockey Now

DAL: The Dallas Stars have been playing with fire by giving their opponents unnecessary power plays, and they got burned by it against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

SJS: Erik Karlsson shows why he can still be a special player,as he helped the San Jose Sharks secure their first win of the season.

NYI: The New York Islanders believe their play against the New Jersey Devils was unacceptable, and their schedule isn’t about to get any easier.

VGK: The Vegas Golden Knights’ retro reverse jersey was leaked back in September, and it looks like the leaks were true.

FLA: After sticking around the team for almost three weeks, the Florida Panthers finally signed Eric Staal to a one-year deal

FLA: Not sure if Calgary Flames fans still care, but former top-liner Matthew Tkachuk factored into both Panthers goals in the Battle of Florida, or whatever they call it down there. It’s no Battle of Alberta, but it’s a good rivalry.

BOS: Taylor Hall understood that he would be shouldering heavy responsibilities for the Boston Bruins in the opening few months of the regular season, and he’s thriving.

PGH: The news could be worse involving injured Pittsburgh Penguins top-line left winger Jake Guentzel.

PHI: The Philadelphia Flyers unveiled their reverse retro jerseys Thursday, and they will be worn for eight games during the 2022-23 season.

WSH: After a slow start to their 2022-2023 season, is it too early to start worrying about the Washington Capitals?

DET: Dominik Kubalik has gone from being a Chicago Blackhawks discard to an ace in the hole for the Detroit Red Wings.