While we don’t know exactly how messed up Ladislav Smid was by that hit last night by Simon Despres, we now have an indication. The Flames announced today that Smid has been placed on the IR, which means he’ll be on the sidelines for at least one week.

To fill his roster spot, the club has recalled veteran defender Corey Potter from Adirondack of the American Hockey League.

When I got the press release earlier today, my reaction was “Oh, okay.”

I mean, the Flames have a set top four in Giordano, Brodie, Wideman and Russell. With Smid – the best of the bottom group – gone for a bit, it’s basically three pretty similar right-handed shots as third pairing options: Deryk Engelland, Corey Potter and Rapha Diaz. Any of the three could play. Any of the three could sit. It depends on the game and the whims of the coaches.

If not Potter, who else? It was probably a coin toss between Potter and Tyler Wotherspoon, and Wotherspoon needs to play a lot right now and probably shouldn’t sit. Beyond those two, there’s not much that’s close to NHL ready. The Flames specifically brought Potter in for depth over the summer anyhow, so it’d be silly if they didn’t at least try him out. At worst, it’s a flexibility option.

He can’t possibly be worse than Diaz or Engelland, right?