Traded from Toronto last week, Joe Colborne could be in Calgary’s lineup tonight when the Flames meet the Blue Jackets in Columbus.
The 23-year-old center’s potential inclusion was confirmed this morning by Flames coach Bob Hartley. It’s not entirely clear who Colborne would replace, but it’s worth noting that rookie forward Sean Monahan reportedly took a shot off his ankle at this morning’s skate and had to be helped off the ice. Center Matt Stajan may also be banged up.
Colborne was a healthy scratch in last night’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Caps in Washington. If he plays tonight, his debut will come a little sooner than the coaching staff wanted.
“The challenge is much bigger for Joe,” said Hartley, per the Calgary Herald. “It’s kind of an unfair situation because he didn’t get the three weeks of training camp, he didn’t get all the video sessions. Obviously, we sat with him and we were very clear that we would fast-forward him in order to cover the three weeks of camp. That’s one of the reasons he didn’t play last night. We sat him with Craig Conroy and Dominic Pittis — they were commentating the entire game to get him to realize (the Flames’ system).”
