Calgary Flames place Jordan Oesterle on waivers

The Calgary Flames have placed defenseman Jordan Oesterle on waivers. He played four games for them this season, scoring zero points and a -2 rating. Oesterle is a veteran NHL defender who has played over 350 games in the league for the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, Detroit Red Wings, and the Flames.

The 31-year-old signed a one-year, $925,000 contract with the Flames in the offseason to be a depth option for their back end. Oesterle always seems to find himself playing for rebuilding teams, only making the playoffs once in his career, in 2019-20 with the Coyotes. During that run, he scored four points in nine games, proving that he can perform when the chips are down.

Oesterle is a two-way defenseman who can slot perfectly on the left side of the bottom pairing on just about any team. He’s good for 15-20 points a year and can be a steadying force as a depth piece.

The Flames are entering an interesting point in the season. So far, they haven’t come close to meeting their expectations for this year with a 2-7-1 record placing them in seventh place in the Pacific Division. There have been rumours swirling around the team concerning pending UFA defenseman Noah Hanifin. They were reportedly close to extending him to a long-term extension before the player broke off the negotiations. That raises significant questions about the state of the team and where they see themselves going.

If Hanifin does get traded in the next few months, Oesterle would be a handy player to have around to plug a hole on the back end. Both of these players are left-handed so he could fit right in on the bottom pair while Nikita Zadorov or Dennis Gilbert takes on a bigger role in the top-four. That being said, there’s a good chance one of the other 31 teams takes a flyer on Oesterle for additional defense depth.