[JerryUnderscore]

First of all, hockey is first and foremost a business.

As fans we can sit here and say "waive this guy, send that guy down!" but it's not that easy. If you waive Stajan or Brouwer, the vast majority of their cap hit stays in the books. Only $950k comes off the books.

The only option is a trade and no team is going to trade for a player sitting up in the press box. So Gulutzan might be instructed to play Brouwer in the most positive situations, that way pro scouts can see him in action.

What would we, as fans, rather see: Brouwer down in the minors still contributing $3.55M against the cap and Jankowski on the opening day roster? Or Jankowski sent down for a couple days and Brouwer traded to a team like St. Louis who might actually want a player like Brouwer?

Secondly, the NHL isn't a developmental league and the Flames have turned a corner into contention. The question we shouldn't ask is, "Did Jankowski earn a spot?" Instead, we should ask "What will most contribute to the long-term success of the franchise?"

Treliving has said, and I agree with him, you can't overcook prospects in the minors. It's way better to over-develop a player in the AHL than to rush them to the NHL and have them fail. We only have to look up the QE2 to see what happens when you rush players to quickly.

I suspect Jankowski will be back up with the team sooner rather than later. But even if he's not, playing big minutes in the AHL isn't a bad thing for his development.