Saturday: Head coach Bill Peters told reporters including Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg that Czarnik’s injury is a significant one. He pegs a potential return timeline around Christmas which means that Czarnik would be out for two months.
Friday: The Calgary Flames have placed Austin Czarnik on long-term injured reserve after he suffered a lower-body injury last night against the Florida Panthers. That means Czarnik will have to miss at least 10 games or 24 days. The team has recalled Alan Quine from the AHL’s Stockton Heat in the meantime.
It is unfortunate timing for Czarnik, who had points in three straight games and had carved out a bigger role for himself in Calgary. The 26-year old forward played in 54 games for the Flames last season after signing a two-year, $2.5MM deal in free agency, but was obviously hoping to be a more integral part of the team this time around.
The Flames are in a delicate dance with the cap ceiling, but moving Czarnik to long-term injured reserve will actually give them a little more flexibility—at least for now.