"With 13 years on his NHL odometer, Rhett Warrener considers himself a hurtin' unit in need of some serious shop time.

"I've been running without oil," the Calgary Flames defenceman said Saturday morning as his teammates prepared for their home opener against Vancouver. "So it's starting to catch up with me.

"If I don't play a certain way, there's no sense having me out on the ice, and I can't play that way right now."

The Flames placed Warrener on the long-term injury list last Thursday, less than 48 hours after he cleared waivers for the second time this year.

Long-term injury status is for players who will sit out at least 10 regular-season games and 24 calendar days.

The move allowed the Flames to recall forward Dustin Boyd.

"My shoulder is a bit of a mess, to put it mildly." Warrener said. "It's been bad for a long time, but then in training camp, I got hit and slightly separated it again. They've told me I'm going to need a replacement at some point. I don't want to be 32 with a replaced shoulder. So we're trying to avoid that."

Even with a bad wing, Warrener is still smiling after a summer of stress and uncertainty surrounding his hockey future. In June, general manager Darryl Sutter placed him on waivers.

There were no takers. Then came word from his agent, Pat Morris, that a buyout was imminent. It never happened."