Last Friday, the Philadelphia Flyers and general manager Chuck Fletcher released an injury update amidst the suspended season. When the NHL paused the 2019-20 season, the Flyers had five players listed
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On that list is a mix of forwards and defensemen including Sam Morin, Philippe Myers, Nolan Patrick, Nate Thompson, and James van Riemsdyk. Forward Oskar Lindblom also continues his battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, still receiving treatment in the Philadelphia area.
With the NHL season still in limbo with the coronavirus pandemic, there’s no real timeline for when the Flyers and the rest of the league will be back on the ice. Regardless, it’s nice to see these players progressing in their recoveries that’ll hopefully be resolved in time for the continuation of the 2019-20 season.
The Updates
Sam Morin
The past year and a half have been nothing short of brutal for big-man defenseman Sam Morin. After tearing the same ACL in his right knee for the second time in 19 months, Morin’s 2019-20 season came to a quick end.
As he battles through another grueling recovery, Morin has made some decent progress and is back on the ice once again according to Fletcher. “Sam is progressing well. He has begun skating and is expected to be cleared to play in time for the 2020-21 season,” said the Flyers’ general manager.
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Morin still has plenty of healing time left, but it seems as though he’s recovering at a solid pace. Hopefully, the Flyers’ assessment is correct and the big defender can return to full health by the start of next season.
Phil Myers
Another defenseman currently struck with injury, be it much less severe than Morin’s, is emerging star, Philippe Myers.
Before the pause, Myers suffered a fractured patella in his right knee. At the time of the injury, which occurred in early March of this year, he was slated to miss about four weeks, which would’ve kept him out for the remainder of the regular season.
Now, however, it seems as though Myers will be more than ready when the NHL finally resumes play. “Phil is progressing very well and he is ready to play in NHL games,” is all Fletcher had to say about Myers’ recovery up to this point.
Nolan Patrick
It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen Nolan Patrick in an NHL game, and it’s hard to say when the next time might be. After being diagnosed with a migraine disorder at the beginning of the season, his road to a return has been more unclear and unpredictable than anyone could’ve imagined.
In the latest round of updates, Fletcher didn’t go too
At this point, it might just be time for Fletcher and the Flyers to write off Patrick’s chances to play this season. Unless they can provide a more legitimate timeline on when he’ll be cleared for contact, it’s just unrealistic to expect his return anytime before next season.
Nate Thompson
Losing newly acquired veteran forward Nate Thompson would’ve posed some interesting questions for the Flyers. He was only set to miss about one or two weeks with
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For Fletcher, that’ll no longer be an issue. Once things manage to get back to normal, Thompson will be ready to go alongside the rest of his new teammates.
Thompson’s injury has come and gone without him missing a single game due to the NHL season pause. Once play resumes, the Flyers will be able to make a run with four healthy centermen as if the problem never existed in the first place.
James van Riemsdyk
One of the more pressing injuries that could’ve caused some serious trouble for the Flyers down the line was a fractured right index finger for James van Riemsdyk.
He was set to miss about 4-6 weeks after blocking a shot in the Flyers March 4, 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals. The season was suspended a week later and van Riemsdyk has had plenty of extra time to heal. As of a week ago, according to Fletcher, “James has full range of motion and good strength in his right hand. He is expected to be cleared to play within 1-2 weeks.”
With the way things are progressing, it seems as though he would be ready to go by the time the season would resume. The Flyers will likely provide another update in about a week or so once the
Takeaways
There aren’t too many surprising takeaways from Fletcher’s recent injury report. Fans knew that Sam Morin would be missing the entirety of the 2019-20 season and hopefully he can just stay healthy once he returns.
For Myers, Thompson, and van Riemsdyk, there isn’t much more to say with no hockey. When the league — and all sports, for that matter — make their return, all three should be good to go. At the time of their injuries, it looked like the Flyers had been snakebitten, but with all the time that has passed with the season suspended, they’ve actually benefited in the way of getting everyone back to full health before play resumes.
In the case of Patrick, it’s tough to identify exactly what the next barrier to overcome is for him. His participation, albeit non-contact participation, has been a solid sign for his recovery, but it feels as though there isn’t much of an indicator as to what it’ll take to earn him clearance for contact.
Looking Ahead
Right now, there’s really no telling when the world of sports will be back on its feet. As a consequence of that, the Flyers are forced to just sit around and wait to pick up on one of their best seasons in recent memory.
In the spirit of staying optimistic, however, they’ll at least be back to full health and extremely well-rested when things get back on track. Another bright note in these dark times is that the Flyers are staying active, keeping up good communication and transparency, and doing their best to connect the players with fans despite everyone being quarantined.
You can probably expect another update in about a week or two, mainly providing an injury update on van Riemsdyk and perhaps some more extensive detail on Patrick. Hopefully, during that time, we’ll also get an update from the NHL, giving us a better idea of when hockey might be back in action.