If he’s injured, who could replace Troy Brouwer?

The Calgary Flames have a little over $8,000 in cap space. Unless they place somebody on LTIR, there’s no room to call anybody up from the Stockton Heat.

If Troy Brouwer can’t go for just a game or two, then Freddie Hamilton likely slots in the lineup. If, however, he’s unavailable for longer than that, then the Flames will likely have to bring somebody up.

The good news is, based on Glen Gulutzan’s comments, it sounds as though Brouwer won’t be out long enough to necessitate a recall, if he even has to miss time at all.

Losing him for any games would still be a blow, though, as he’s currently the Flames’ leading scorer, and plays in all situations. It’s not as though Hamilton is a useless plug – far from it – but he’s not the caliber of player Brouwer is. It’s a downgrade, no matter what.

Still, what could the lineup look like if Brouwer has to slot out, even if only for a game? Assuming Monahan and Backlund’s lines wouldn’t be touched, someone from the fourth line would have to be bumped up.

Kris Versteeg is a right winger currently playing on the left side, so handedness isn’t a problem. Micheal Ferland would probably be the best guy to be bumped up, considering his style of play and growing scoring presence, creating a Ferland – Bennett – Versteeg line which, while not as ideal, doesn’t sound horrible. That would leave the fourth line as Bouma – Stajan – Hamilton, which looks fine as well.

Brouwer is third in forward special teams time, so Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau would need a new forward companion on the man advantage. Mikael Backlund and Sam Bennett have played the most after those three, so one of them (probably Bennett) would make the most sense, or Matthew Tkachuk. After them, a Versteeg, Ferland, or maybe even Michael Frolik could likely easily slot in on the second unit.

Brouwer is fifth in forward ice time on the penalty kill, so his possible lack of presence shorthanded is a little less dire. Monahan or Bennett would probably be the ones to fill in on that role.

The Flames aren’t short of decent replacement options in the short term. They aren’t as ideal as actually having Brouwer in the lineup, but with the way this team is built, it isn’t doom or gloom, either.

Short of carrying no extra forwards or deciding to go with seven defencemen in the lineup – Brett Kulak is probably available for this – if Brouwer (or any Flames player, for that matter) is out for the longer term, it’s a problem.

The Flames would have to use LTIR to recall a player. And while this season is young yet, there are a few options down on the farm who could probably be looked to as replacements.

Six players on the Stockton Heat are currently point-per-game or point-per-game-plus players, all with at least four points. Morgan Klimchuk, in an offensive explosion that saw him have a four-point game, is currently the team’s scoring leader with six. Andrew Mangiapane and Mark Jankowski have five points each, while Hunter Shinkaruk, Daniel Pribyl, and Colby Robak have four.

Robak is a defenceman, so he’s disqualified from the get-go.

All four of Pribyl’s points have come in just one game so far, and it’s only his fourth game coming off of ACL surgery, not to mention his fourth game on North American ice. For him, it might be a little too early for a recall.

The same could be said, albeit to a lesser extent, of Klimchuk, Mangiapane, and Jankowski. The former is coming off of a not-ideal rookie professional season, and giving him the chance to keep his game going without distraction is probably the better move for him. The latter two, meanwhile, are just a couple of games into their professional careers. A recall only happens if this is a long-term injury, and being thrust into the NHL this early may not be the best move.

Shinkaruk is playing well in the minors, and has the most professional North American experience – and NHL experience, for that matter – of the group. If a forward on the Flames gets injured badly enough to force a recall, then at least this early in the season, he’s probably the go-to guy.

It doesn’t seem as though Brouwer’s injury will force that to be the case, though; and hopefully, the Flames just don’t experience any long-term injuries for as long as possible. But it is nice to know that in case they do get into trouble, a lot of kids on the farm are off to great starts.