Training camp has officially begun, and we got our first glimpse of the Calgary Flames’ training camp rosters. It’s a pretty standard configuration split between what you’d consider the NHL guys and more or less the AHL guys. There is, however, one notable name who you may have expected to be part of the main group. Hunter Brzustewicz is that odd man out.

Acquired two years ago as part of a trade package the Flames received for Elias Lindholm, Brzustewicz had a lot of offensive upside from the blue line, finishing second in OHL defencemen scoring in his final year of junior.

Last season, Brzustewicz impressed enough out of training camp to earn a spot on the NHL roster in just his second pro season. As was the case for most guys on the team, it was an up-and-down season that saw Brzustewicz play in 34 NHL games, where he recorded two goals and five assists with a zero plus minus rating. Brzustewicz even saw a little bit of time quarterbacking a power play unit towards the end of the season. Brzustewicz also saw 34 games in the AHL where he scored four goals and added nine assists.

There’s no doubt that Brzustewicz is an NHL defenceman. Sure, there are things he still needs to improve upon to truly be able to take that next step, but he’s shown he belongs.

The problem is, there just doesn’t seem to be room for him on this Flames team. On the right side, the Flames already have newly acquired Simon Nemec, along with Zayne Parekh, Zach Whitecloud and Brayden Pachal. Brzustewicz would be ahead of Pachal on the depth chart, but Pachal is a much better candidate to be a seventh defenceman than Brzustewicz would be. Flames fans want to see Brzustewicz in the NHL, but they don’t want to see him being a healthy scratch four out of five games.

One thing that is not in Brzustewicz’s favour is that he is waiver-exempt. This means he can be sent to the AHL, and the Flames don’t have to risk losing him like they did Ilya Solovyov a year ago. Ultimately, it looks like the AHL is going to be Brzustewicz’s home for a good portion of the season.

That’s not all bad, though. While it may not be a popular decision for Brzustewicz, it may be quite beneficial for his development. With the Wranglers, he would be their guy. He will play the most minutes, quarterback the top power-play unit and play in every other situation possible. In perspective, it would be a lot better than playing minimal third-pairing minutes with no special-teams time in the NHL.

Now, it is possible Brzustewicz could garner decent interest on the trade market. There are many teams who would love to add a young right-shot defenceman with offensive upside. There’s no rush to trade him, though. A lot could still happen.

With every pro sport, you just can’t have too much depth. Injuries occur, and the Flames still have decisions to make with regard to Zach Whitecloud and whether he looks to be part of the Flames’ picture beyond the expiration of his contract. A Zach Whitecloud trade would likely open up that door for Brzustewicz to get regular NHL minutes.

The Flames look positioned to take this slowly right now. We probably won’t see Brzustewicz with the Flames in the near future, barring injuries. Hopefully he won’t take it as a demotion and instead as an opportunity. If Brzustewicz can dominate with the Wranglers, he can force managements hand to make some moves. On a young team likely to sit near the bottom of the standings, there will be jobs up for grabs, he just has to prove that he deserves one.

Come the trade deadline in March, we’ll see where the Flames are at then. Do we see a Whitecloud trade to open up a spot, or does Brzustewicz get moved for a fresh start? Maybe it doesn’t take that long. There’s still a lot that can happen, but for now, Brzustewicz is the Flames’ odd defenceman out.