Flames GM would prefer not to begin season with 3 goalies
Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving doesn't want to start the season with three goalies in the NHL.
"I’ve never seen three work," Treliving told Sportsnet's Mark Spector on Monday. "You keep three if you have to. I’d prefer not to.”
Karri Ramo, Jonas Hiller, and Joni Ortio all have legitimate cases to see time in the Flames' crease.
“If you look at it, they’re all in different stages,” Treliving said. “You have Hiller who has been a No. 1 in this league a long time. (Ramo) has kind of made a name, he’s got some experience. And you’ve got the younger guy (Ortio) coming up. In a perfect world you want the big guy you can ride, but ultimately you want to have good goaltending on as many nights as you can get it. If it means it’s two guys, three guys… Whatever it is."
Ramo appeared in only two of Calgary's six opening-round playoff games against the Vancouver Canucks last spring before taking a more prominent role in the second round, where he supplanted Hiller and played five of the Flames' six contests against the Anaheim Ducks.
Hiller was reportedly shopped at the trade deadline in March and at the draft in June. Spector believes Treliving will continue to look for a trade partner for Hiller and would prefer to eat salary over sending a $4.5-million player to the minors.
Ortio spent most of last season with the AHL's Adirondack Flames, going 21-13-1 with a 2.69 GAA, a .912 save percentage, and four shutouts in 37 games.
The 24-year-old played six NHL contests, going 4-2-0 with a 2.52 GAA, a .908 save percentage, and one shutout. Ortio said in May he plans to fight for the Flames' No. 1 job.
Calgary also has goaltender Jon Gillies, who it drafted in the third round in 2012, in the organization. The 21-year-old signed his entry-level deal with the Flames in April after winning an NCAA championship with Providence.
“What I’ve found, the players usually sort it out,” Treliving said. “The good thing for us, to me, I think we’ve got depth at the position. Not only at this level, we’ve got a couple of kids coming.”