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Calgary Flames

Tyler Wotherspoon recalled from Adirondack

Let's hope it's temporary.

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The Flames made a positive yet unfortunate move today. Number one defensive prospect Tyler Wotherspoon has been recalled from the baby Flames, all but confirming that Mark Giordano will be out for tonight’s game, and maybe longer. There is no word on whether he will play tonight versus the Islanders, but he did arrive in time for morning practice (Glen Falls is only about three hours from Uniondale).

Wotherspoon has been called up and sent down at various times throughout the year, but has never played a game due to Bob Hartley's inexplicable preference for Deryk Engelland. In the AHL he has been very productive this year, scoring 21 points in 46 games while remaining +4. In his only NHL stint, the second round pick from 2011 played 14 games, recoding four assists while going -3.

While it’s due time for Wotherspoon to get some NHL playing time, it comes at the expense of Giordano. Unfortunately injured in the Flames’ 3-1 versus the Devils, the Flames are still keeping quiet on the extent of the injury. This is the second day of evaluations for him, and will go for more testing tomorrow. He likely won’t be playing tonight, and it’s unknown how many more games he will miss.

It will be interesting to see where and if Wotherspoon slots in tonight. He probably won’t be playing with TJ Brodie, but it is possible that he slots into the top four. That leaves the Flames with the horrifying choice of either playing Dennis Wideman or Kris Russell on the top pairing. Pick your poison.

Giordano's injury is the largest setback the Flames have faced this season, and there is no replacing his contribution with what the Flames currently have. The front office and scouts are currently in Philadelphia. Trade deadline is only three days away, and depending on the length of Giordano's injury, we could see the Flames pull some interesting moves.

Puck drops tonight at 5 P.M. See you all tonight!

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