Calgary Flames place Dennis Gilbert on injury reserve

In advance of the Calgary Flames’ match-up on Thursday with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they’ve made a roster move. Per Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg, the club has placed defenceman Dennis Gilbert on the injury reserve list.

Gilbert was originally injured on Jan. 4 late in the Flames’ game against the Nashville Predators.

He hasn’t played since, as he’s worked his way through the concussion protocol. Gilbert was on the Flames’ recent road trip and has returned to practice, but he obviously hasn’t played since his injury.

The Flames began Wednesday with a full 23 player roster (three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards), including Gilbert and the injured Jacob Markstrom. With Walker Duehr on the waiver wire, the Flames essentially had three players that were unavailable to them and using up roster spots at least until Thursday’s noon MT waiver deadline – that gave them essentially zero flexibility.

Placing Gilbert on the IR provides the Flames with an open roster spot and the opportunity to potentially call up an extra player from the AHL as an extra healthy body. With the Flames juggling Markstrom’s injury, Gilbert’s injury, Jonathan Huberdeau recovering from an illness that caused him to miss Tuesday’s game, and Oliver Kylington’s long-term injury conditioning stint ending after Friday’s Wranglers game… well, the Flames have a lot of stuff going on. Roster flexibility heading into a week like this could be a big help as they navigate everything.