Following the announcement that Andrei Vasilevskiy had undergone back surgery and is slated to miss the next 8-10 weeks or more while he recovers, it became abundantly clear that the Bolts would enter the goalie market, whether it be by trade, UFA signing or waiver claim.
Earlier this week, the Vancouver Canucks had placed goaltender Spencer Martin on waivers. There was some belief that the Lightning would claim Martin off of waivers if he had made it to them. Unfortunately for Julien BriseBois and company, Martin was claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, leaving the Bolts with only 28-year-old Jonas Johansson, who has just 35 games under his belt, Hugo Alnefelt, who had a single 20-minute appearance with the Lightning back in the 2021-22 season, and 2022 Olympian Matt Tomkins on their roster. At least with Tomkins, he's been one of the top goalies in Sweden this past season, but with no NHL experience, he's not an ideal option at this point.
With the emergence of Dustin Wolf in Calgary, there has been some speculation that the Flames may opt to run a tandem that consists of Jacob Markstrom and Dustin Wolf this season, leaving Dan Vladar's name out there as a potential trade piece. Naturally, many have viewed Vladar as a nice fit in Tampa with their newfound goalie issues.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman has heard these rumours, but isn't sold on the idea that Vladar will end up in Tampa, largely because of the situation they're in with limited draft capital and a prospect pool that isn't very deep.
Vladar, 26, went 14-6-5 with a 2.83 goals against average and an .895 save percentage for the Flames last season.
