Justin Kirkland, after major knee surgery, hasn’t been able to pick up where he left off.
It seems the Calgary Flames are ready to test drive other options at fourth-line centre.
The 29-year-old Kirkland was placed on waivers Wednesday with the expectation that he will be assigned to the AHL if he goes unclaimed.
And who might be headed the opposite direction?
The most obvious call-up candidate among pivots would be Rory Kerins, who was an AHL all-star last winter, had an impressive showing at training camp and leads the Wranglers with 14 points in 13 games.
While the 23-year-old Kerins doesn’t necessarily fit the fourth-line mold, his offensive pop will appeal to a team that is currently ranked last in the NHL in both goals-per-game and power-play efficiency.
Sam Morton could also be on the radar for another big-league look.
Morton, 26, has produced 10 points over his past eight skates in the minors and plays a responsible style.
The Wranglers are in action Wednesday evening, hosting the Ontario Reign. If either Kerins or Morton is a scratch, that will be a not-so-subtle hint that they will likely be summoned by the Flames before Thursday’s showdown with the San Jose Sharks.
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Kirkland was one of the NHL’s feel-good stories last fall, but he has struggled to return to his previous pace after the lengthy and gruelling rehab from surgery on his ACL.
Signed this summer to his first one-way contract, this fan favourite known as ‘Costco’ has suited up for just nine of the Flames’ 18 games so far, registering zero goals and one assist while averaging 9:34 per night.
The shootout ace also has failed on both of his attempts in the tiebreaker competition, although one of those plunked the post.
Kirkland’s strongest stat has been in the faceoff circle. He has won 54.6% of his draws.
Kerins logged five appearances for the Flames last season, introducing himself with four assists, while Morton notched a goal in his lone NHL outing.
In other roster news, defenceman Daniil Miromanov has been reassigned to the Wranglers. He was scratched for both stops on a two-game road trip to Minnesota and St. Louis.