The Calgary Flames announced that they have signed goaltender Artyom Zagidulin to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The contract will come into effect at the beginning of the 2020-21 season. The team announced the news Monday evening.
Calgary Flames Ink Artyom Zagidulin
Zagidulin spent this past season playing for the Stockton Heat of the American Hockey League. In 30 games played, he posted a record of 16-7-1 to go along with a 3.07 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage.
Before coming to North America, Zagidulin spent three seasons playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. His best season came in 2018-19 where he posted a record of 12-7-3 to go along with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.
Zagidulin has been a solid option for the Heat throughout the whole season. The netminder plays a solid game and is very calm in the net. He plays his angles well and is rarely caught out of position. When called upon, he can make a play with the puck and is able to do so even when pressured by the opposition. He has a good glove hand and can easily track pucks through traffic. He moves well run his crease and has the potential to become an NHL starter in a few years.
What This Means for the Future
Although the Heat were not a great team, Zagidulin played solid hockey all season long. With the potential departure of Cam Talbot in the offseason, he will have the chance to snag the backup role as soon as next season.
As long as the Flames continue to let Zagidulin develop at his own pace, they will be just fine. They have a solid starter in David Rittich and can afford to let Zagidulin take his time while transitioning into the NHL. The future is bright in Calgary and it will be exciting to see how the Flames do come next season.
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