'Big Day For The Organization'

For Flames GM Craig Conroy, inking goaltender Dustin Wolf to a seven-year contract extension might just have been the cherry on top of his summer re-signing sundae.

Wolf put pen to paper Tuesday morning on a pact that will keep him in Flames silks through the 2032-33 season, a deal that will see the Californian puck-stopper add $52.5 million to his bankroll.

He’ll be around familiar faces. The Flames were quiet in free agency, Conroy electing instead to focus on his young core and their futures here in Calgary.

And focus he did. Add Wolf’s name to a long list of newly-extended youngsters that already included forwards Matt Coronato, Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary, along with towering defenceman Kevin Bahl.

But for Conroy, securing the services of Wolf after an impressive rookie campaign was crucial.

“It’s a big day for the organization, obviously excited to get it done,” Conroy said Tuesday morning. “To get Zary done, to get him, Pospisil, Bahler, Coronato, it’s great for the organization.

“I think it sends a good message to everybody, I mean people want to be in Calgary, and they believe that we have a chance to win here.”

In his media session Tuesday morning, Wolf expressed excitement at what lies ahead, not just this season, but also when Scotia Place opens its doors in the fall of 2027.

It’s safe to say the Calder Memorial Trophy finalist will be front and centre in the home crease come opening night in the new building, exuding that confidence, that self-belief, that’s gotten him this far.

“Every day, you see his preparation; he’s just focused, hyper-focused on what he needs to do,” said Conroy. “I’ve been fortunate to play with some unbelievably great goaltenders in my career, those guys kinda all had what Dustin has.

“We feel like we do know him well enough. It’s not just one year, he’s been in the organization from the time we drafted him, watching him play in junior, all the way through. To get him locked up - with the other guys that we’ve got locked up - you’re really excited for the organization and looking forward to getting going now.”

Flames head coach Ryan Huska is set to embark on his third campaign as Calgary’s bench boss this winter, and he shared his GM’s excitement at having Wolf in the fold for the foreseeable future.

“I think it’s great news for Dustin, his family - and I think selfishly for me - even better for our organization to have a younger, quality player locked up for the long term,” he said. “Like, we all know the type of goaltender he is, and I think we’re just going to see him get better and better along the way.”

If last season’s 29 wins were proof positive that Wolf is Calgary’s go-to guy in goal, his new deal is as much confirmation as it is an investment in the future.

But even since he first arrived on the NHL scene, Wolf has skipped to the beat of his own drum.

Doing things his way, to be at his best night in, night out.

“I think he does a lot of things in his own way,” Huska explained. “I remember a time where - not last year, but the year before - he came up to play a game, and MacKenzie (Weegar) and Jonathan (Huberdeau), they play soccer in a certain area. Well, Wolfie was in that area stretching, and the way about him is ‘this is where I’m going to stretch, so you guys are going to have to move your soccer game somewhere else.’ And the two of them just laughed, and they know what it’s like to be a young guy that’s trying to make his way in the league.

”He wants to win, and I think that’s going to rub off on our players, just by watching how he approaches games and how he approaches situations.”

Conroy’s core is committed to Calgary. From Coronato, to Zary and now Wolf, his vision of building around 22- to 25-year-old talent is well and truly in full swing.

And while he’s never shy to share a smile, the GM’s grin was on full display Tuesday.

One job done.

Even though the real work is just getting started.

“Everybody was very positive, they want to be here, they see where the team is headed,” Conroy said. “Obviously, we’re not exactly where we want to be yet, but these guys are going to be a big part of it moving forward.

“As we move forward, it sends a message to the rest of the League. Calgary’s a place that we’re trying to build something, we want to win. Hopefully that even draws other people here.”