*&^*&^*&%*&^^(^!!
According to Inside the Flames, Sutter has put his pet Rhett Warrener on IR...and...sent DUSTIN BOYD to the minors. Can you fucking believe this??
If this isn't rectified in short order, expect an extended, invective filled rant.
EDIT - Sutter seemed to imply on the radio that this is a temporary move that won't last ("rosters change everyday..."). I bloody well hope so.
EDIT - for those of you unaware of the rules governing IR in the NHL:
In the event that a player is injured and a Club wishes to place him on the Injured Reserve List the Club must follow these procedures:
1. A club may place a player on the Injured Reserve List if such player is injured, disabled or ill and unable to perform his duties as a hockey player after having passed the Club's initial physical examination in that season.
2. A player who has an injury that renders him physically unable to play for a minimum of seven days after that date of the injury can be placed on the Club's Injured Reserve List. Once a player is placed on the list, the Club may replace said player on its NHL roster with another player. All determinations that a player has suffered an injury warranting injured reserve status must be made by the Club's medical staff and in accordance with the Club's medical standards.
3. A player placed on Injured Reserve is ineligible to compete in NHL games for a period of not less than seven days.
Players on Injured Reserve may attend Club meetings and meals, travel with the Club and participate in practice sessions.
What does this mean? The cap relief from Warrener being injured is non-existant. It also means he can't play for the next 7 days, even if he's traded. Meaning it's unlikely he'll be traded. I think that also means Boyd has to remain in the minors for at least a week, no?
There's a possibility that Warrener was suddenly, conveniently injured just as he received his QC papers (I believe guys on IR are ineligible for re-assignment) but that strikes me as incredibly dubious. The guy was playing his heart out to make the team the entire pre-season and is suddenly too hurt to play on the eve of the regular season (several days after the last exhibition game?).
Final update -
Apparently, Warrener has been placed on LTIR and Boyd has been recalled.
What this means is: the Flames have less than zero cap room to play with this year. Warrener's salary is still technically on the books, but the team is allowed to exceed the cap by that amount in order to "replace" him on the roster. If he is ever declared "fit to play" (wont happen, he's finished), the team is over the cap again. Actually, it means the team is over the cap now. There will be no budget flexibility without moving some significant salary.
Before I get past this, I'd like to add that it strikes me as preposterous that Warrener is "suddenly" too injured to play. I think this is a last ditch move by Sutter to spare his most precious the indignity of being put in the minors for his final year.
To be clear - I dont think that Warrener *isn't* actually injured. It's clear, however, that he's been injured for some time. I don't think this is a new injury, I think it's a chronic condition of player that has obviously been held together by hat pins and prayers the last couple of seasons - and LTIR is just a way to give him his full salary and keep him from the minors. It's overly preferential, it's Mickey Mouse and it's detrimental to the organization.
Warrener should have been bought out this the summer. Prust and Roy should not have been signed (and Eriksson and Zyuzin and Nilson and...). Primeau shouldn't be on this team for 1.4M a year. This fiasco involving Boyd shouldn't have occured at all.
Ditch this bullshit.
PS - If you haven't already, check out Matt's screed on the subject.
