Devin Cooley Goes on IR and Dustin Wolf Wins His First Start Back as Matt Coronato's Four Points Bury the Kraken: Calgary's Fantasy Goalie Plan

The Calgary Flames placed goaltender Devin Cooley on injured reserve on Friday, and coach Ryan Huska said he is week to week with a lower-body injury. A few hours later, Dustin Wolf made his first start since Oct. 15 and won it, stopping 20 of 22 shots in a 6-2 home victory over the Seattle Kraken. Matt Coronato had a goal and three assists for a four-point night.

For fantasy managers, the crease that Cooley had taken over in recent weeks belongs to Wolf again, at least for now. The question is whether Wolf's rough start to the season was a slump or a signal.

How Cooley got hurt

Cooley was injured late in the first period of Wednesday's 4-0 loss to Edmonton, when Oilers forward Colton Dach crashed the net and collided with him with 12 seconds left in the frame. Dach was called for goaltender interference. Calgary moved Cooley to IR on Friday and recalled Arsenii Sergeev from the AHL to serve as the backup.

Cooley had been one of the early-season surprises. He went 4-3-0 with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in seven games, and he had kept Wolf on the bench through a four-game Flames winning streak earlier in the month.

Season figures as reported by CBS Sports and NHL.com. Arsenii Sergeev, recalled from the AHL, is the backup.

Wolf's win was the right kind of start

Friday's performance was not a stress test. Seattle managed only 22 shots, and Calgary built a big enough lead that Wolf was not asked to steal anything. But for a goalie carrying an .847 save percentage into the night, a clean, low-event win is exactly what was needed. It was his first victory since Oct. 13.

The season-long numbers are ugly, and they will not fix themselves in one night. The context helps, though. Wolf has been one of the league's most promising young goalies, and seven appearances is a small sample, particularly when several came during a rough team stretch. With Cooley out for at least a week and likely longer, Wolf now gets the steady run of starts that tends to settle a goalie down.

Fantasy read: Wolf goes from a bench stash to a starting option in most leagues. He is a volume play for wins and saves, with ratio risk. Managers in leagues that weight save percentage heavily should start him only in favorable matchups until his numbers stabilize. Anyone who dropped him during the Cooley run should check the waiver wire now.

Coronato and the Calgary offense

Coronato's four-point night was the other headline. He had a goal and three assists, and Joel Farabee added a goal and two assists. Morgan Frost and Matvei Gridin each had a goal and an assist, and Calgary improved to 6-7-0.

Matt Coronato has been a streaky but talented scorer, and a four-point game is a reminder of his ceiling. He is a hold in standard leagues and a reasonable add in deeper formats where he was dropped.

Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost have both been productive for Calgary, and multi-point games from depth forwards on a team that just scored six are a decent sign for their weekly floor. They remain deep-league options.

Matvei Gridin is the name to watch in dynasty leagues. A goal and an assist in a young player's early NHL run tends to earn more ice time.

Calgary is also managing other injuries: Brennan Othmann is day to day with an upper-body issue, and Connor Zary had knee surgery and is considered week to week.

Seattle's side

The Kraken's power-play struggles continued. Freddy Gaudreau scored his team-leading seventh goal, and Mackie Samoskevich also scored, but Philipp Grubauer was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots. Joey Daccord stopped 11 shots in relief.

Fantasy note: Seattle's goalie split remains a headache. A goalie pulled after four goals on 14 shots is unlikely to get an automatic next start, and Daccord's relief work may earn him the next opportunity. Do not start either Kraken goalie with confidence until the team names a clear No. 1.

The betting angle

Goalie changes move NHL lines more than almost any other news, and Calgary's crease now carries more uncertainty than it did a week ago. Wolf's season numbers will make some markets treat Calgary as a weaker defensive team; Friday's start was a reminder that he can be better than those numbers. Watch for Calgary to be priced slightly long in the next few games, especially against teams with weak power plays. Check confirmed starters on Daily Faceoff before betting any Flames game. For the model's daily view, see the NHL picks at /blog/nhl-picks-2026-10-31 and the live board at /nhl/predictions.

What to do in your league

Add or start: Dustin Wolf as Calgary's starter while Cooley is on IR.

Hold: Matt Coronato.

Dynasty watch: Matvei Gridin.

Avoid: Seattle's goalies until the team settles on a starter.

Cooley's return timeline is the key variable. Week to week usually means at least two weeks, and that is enough time for Wolf to reclaim the job outright if he strings together a few more starts like Friday's.