The Calgary Flames don't currently have an NHL goaltender on their roster. Not a starting goaltender, *any* goaltender.
While re-signing David Rittich to be the 1A, and finding a backup on the cheap, seemed to be the most likely outcome, and perhaps still is, it's possible the Flames don't believe he can start moving forward and plan to look for help externally.
Should that be the case, Semyon Varlamov stands out as a realistic potential target.
The 31-year-old is almost certainly going to become an unrestricted free agent in July – Philipp Grubauer ranks 2nd in 5v5 save percentage over the last two seasons, has taken over as a starter, and is under contract on the cheap – and Flames management has previously taken a liking to Varlamov's game. They were reportedly interested in him during their goalie hunt in the summer of 2016.
As you know Flames are looking for a goaltender and #avalanche Semyon Varlamov is a goalie they're looking at. 1/2
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 21, 2016
Varlamov's play over the last two years, in particular, has provided little reason for that interest to disappear.
He posted a .926 save percentage at 5v5 in that frame, which is good for 13th among 38 eligible goaltenders (3,000+ minutes). He sits just below Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen, and ahead of notables like Tuukka Rask, Connor Hellebuyck, Marc-Andre Fleury, Henrik Lundqvist, Carey Price, and Braden Holtby. Not bad.
Varlamov's all situation numbers paint him in a similarly positive light. He sits 18th with a .915SV% – ahead of Lundqvist, Price, Holtby and, yes, Rittich.
He would have to take a healthy pay cut from the $5.9 million he has been pulling in annually but if he wants to start, play for a very good team, and still be paid fairly well (I could see something in the ~$4.5M range) the Flames just might be the perfect fit.
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