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Calgary Flames: Joni Ortio Clears Waivers |
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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
With the return of Jonas Hiller imminent and Karri Ramo's improved play over the last few weeks Joni Ortio has found himself as the odd man out in Calgary.
On Tuesday the Flames announced that they waived Ortio with the intention of sending him to AHL Stockton, presumably to split time with Kevin Poulin, and he has since cleared.
It's no surprise that Ortio is on the outside looking in with Hiller back in the fold. Ortio struggled mightily in his four appearances posting an .866 save percentage and he never seemed to gain the trust of head coach Bob Hartley.
Some may not have liked GM Brad Treliving's decision to expose Ortio to waivers but I don't think losing him would have been as a big of a deal as many others.
He played well in 2013-14 but, that year aside, even his AHL numbers have been mediocre and he probably doesn't project to be anything more than a backup at the NHL level.
I think Hiller and Ramo give the Flames the best chance to win right now and they're smart to stick with those guys moving forward.
If Hiller and Ramo struggle like they did early in the season Ortio could find his way back up to the big club so it'd be in his best interest to get over this quickly and try to find his game in Stockton.
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