Flames waive Austin Czarnik, reassign Rinaldo

The Calgary Flames placed Austin Czarnik on waivers and reassigned Zac Rinaldo to the Stockton Heat Wednesday morning.

The 27-year-old Czarnik, in his second year with the Flames, has played in eight games for the big club putting up three points in that time.

Rinaldo, meanwhile, came up and produced well for Calgary in a five-game stint scoring two goals adding one assist. He also tallied 19 PIM during that time frame.

The move comes amid a numbers game for the Calgary Flames and it sounds like the organization is hoping he can get some ice-time in the AHL.

Postmedia’s Kristen Anderson tweeted this quote from Flames HC Geoff Ward giving some insight into the move.

“When I talked to (Czarnik) today, he knows exactly where he sits. He’s healthy now, he’s ready to be available for selection … Right now, he just has to be better than one of the 12 who is in. That process is going to take a little bit of time. I’m not saying he’s not right now, but we’re going to let that play out through some practices for him and some game situations for some other guys and then we’ll make those decisions on a daily basis from here.”

On Twitter: @zjlaing