The Calgary Flames are beginning to make some roster moves as they look to overcome a 2-7-1 start to the season.
This afternoon, it was announced that defenceman Jordan Oesterle has been placed on waivers. The 31-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Flames this offseason after spending two years with the Detroit Red Wings.
While Oesterle was able to make the Flames roster out of training camp, he didn’t receive much playing time, suiting up for only four games while averaging just over 14 minutes in ice time. The play of Ilya Solovyov, who was recently sent back to the AHL for cap reasons, maybe what has made Oesterle expendable. Dennis Gilbert has also seemingly impressed Ryan Huska, as he has suited up for nine games this season.
There had been reports from Elliotte Friedman in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the Flames were considering placing a veteran on waivers to get a rise out of the group. Most ruled Oesterle out of that conversation given that he was hardly playing this season as is.
While there is always a chance that players of Oesterle’s calibre could be waived during any given season, it seemed unlikely to happen to him given the absence of Oliver Kylington. Once it was announced that the 26-year-old would be stepping away from the team once again during training camp, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Oesterle would not only make the Flames team but likely be penciled in as their sixth defenceman.
If this move does indeed give the rest of the group a jolt, we should have a good idea come Saturday when they take on the Seattle Kraken. Things need to change soon for this Flames group if they wish to make the playoffs, as they currently rank 31st out of 32 teams in the NHL standings.
- You might also like:
- Flames could place veteran on waivers to wake team up: report