The Flames made an unexpected move this morning, assigning C/LW Alan Quine to the Stockton Heat.

Demoting Quine is a bit of a surprise. During his time with the big club, Quine picked up three goals and an assist in nine games. While he wasn’t a game-changer by any means, he seemed to be playing well enough to stick around. Although Andrew Mangiapane is eligible to return from the IR, it’s hard to argue that Quine is less deserving of a spot than Mangiapane based on their brief NHL stints thus far.

On the other hand, not at all. Although he had his good moments, there were some bad things sticking out. During his nine games, Quine saw fewer than 10 minutes of ice time in three games, two of those times being held to less than five minutes. His giveaway against the Jets, which resulted in their only goal, seems like the obvious infraction that sealed his fate, but it was likely just that Quine wasn’t as good as his stat line says.

So what’s likely happening is that Quine is making way for Mangiapane’s return. There’s also the likelihood that the Flames are calling up Anthony Peluso to play against Vancouver on Saturday for what should be a chippy affair. In that case, maybe Quine is only gone for the weekend. Stay tuned.