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Flames get bad news regarding prospects Klimchuk, Howse

klimchukgetty

The Calgary Flames acknowledged being in rebuild mode, but Wednesday presented a couple hiccups in the process. The team announced that one of their three 2013 first-rounders Morgan Klimchuk (pictured) will miss training camp with an injury while Ryan Howse was suspended for skipping camp altogether.

Klimchuk, the 28th pick, hurt himself while playing a preseason game for the WHL’s Regina Pats; the Flames predict that he’ll miss between two and four weeks. If the 18-year-old had any slim chance of making the big club, that probably faded with this tough break.

Howse’s transgression might have a larger impact on his development.

The 22-year-old forward lost favor with the team in 2011 because of fitness issues, as the Calgary Sun reported, so this latest development cannot be a great sign for his future. The Globe & Mail’s James Mirtle wonders if Howse’s situation might echo that of Stefan Legein, who briefly “quit hockey” in 2007.

These tough breaks won’t railroad the Flames’ rebuild by themselves, yet this isn’t ideal news, either.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins