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Flames lineup choices for tonight already causing angst in Calgary

Flames Canucks Hockey

Calgary Flames’ head coach Brent Sutter stands behind the bench during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on Saturday, April 10, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)

AP

The Calgary Flames preparation for the regular season and tonight’s opener against the Edmonton Oilers comes with a few interesting quirks. That is, quirks aside from the ones that brought both Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay back to town.

The Flames lineup juggling for tonight with the host of injuries the team has dealt with as well as having young players step up in a big way in camp have added a little spice to tonight’s game. Scott Cruickshank of Flames Insider has the details.

For instance, C Brett Sutter -- goes on waivers, clears waivers, is demoted to AHL Abbotsford, is recalled, and is now in the lineup tonight in Edmonton.

Sutter’s summoning is the result of LW Ales Kotalik (knee) being put on the long-term injury list.

Still, there’s more.

It appears that veterans D Cory Sarich (32 years old, 749 games, $3.6 million), D Steve Staios (37 years old, 897 games, $2.7 million) and C Craig Conroy (39 years old, 991 games, $500,000) are not playing. Yes, $6.3 million worth of healthy blue-liner is in the press box.

The three oldsters were subject to a brief sermon from coach Brent Sutter at the tail end of the morning skate.

In their places go the spry trio of Sutter, D T.J. Brodie and D Adam Pardy.

Kotalik going on LTIR is just added salary relief for the Flames who are already without Matthew Stajan and Daymond Langkow. Crafty lineup juggling and cap management are all part of the game in the NHL these days. Of course, some are going to spin this as a case of the veterans getting benched and breaking out the doom-and-gloom alarm for the Flames.

Maybe it’s just a situation where coach Brent Sutter wants to set the example for the new guys getting the trial by fire (get it - they’re the Flames!) especially when for both Brett Sutter and T.J. Brodie they’ll be getting their first taste of NHL action.

Either way, for a team that’s got cap issues, sitting down two high-priced guys even for a game has to make GM Daryl Sutter get even grumpier about the state of his team. Considering Daryl Sutter’s normal state of being, him being even more grumpy is a scary proposition.