Amid a seven-game losing streak, the Philadelphia Flyers announced updates regarding their injured players:
Travis Konecny
Konecny will miss the next 10-14 days. Against the Boston Bruins on November 17, Konecny suffered an upper-body injury and was not present for the third period. Konecny was on a seven-game point streak (3G, 7A) going into the matchup against the Bruins. He remains tied for first in points on the Flyers with 19 (7G, 12A). Konecny did not play in Saturday’s defeat to the Montreal Canadiens, or Monday’s loss to the Calgary Flames.
Konecny has been the Flyers’ most consistent player this season, according to Tortorella:
“I just think he plays hard. Everything about TK is energy. He’s probably been our most consistent player to this point early on in the season. I think he understands how to practice, I still think we’re a ways away as far as the whole squad understanding how hard you have to practice. He’ll lead by example.”
John Tortorella; 11/9/2022
Scott Laughton
Laughton was placed on the injured reserve today and will miss the next two weeks. He took a hit during Saturday’s matchup against the Canadiens and did not play on Monday night against the Flames.
Laughton has seven points (3G, 4A) in 18 games played this season. He is leading by example on the ice and in the locker room. He remains the only player to wear a letter on their sweater.
Wade Allison
Allison will remain out of the lineup for another 2-3 weeks. On November 12 versus the Ottawa Senators, Allison went in for a hit on Jacob Bernard-Docker and suffered an oblique muscle strain. He has been on the injured reserve since November 15.
Allison has a history of injuries throughout his collegiate and professional hockey career. This season, he has four points (3G, 1A) throughout 14 games. Allison made the Flyers out of training camp and has been averaging 12:30 of ice time per night.
James van Riemsdyk
van Riemsdyk has been out of the lineup since October 23 after breaking his finger in a 3-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks. He underwent surgery on October 28 and was estimated to miss six weeks.
van Riemsdyk is currently on track to return in early December. A veteran in the Flyers’ locker room, van Riemsdyk has five points (2G, 3A) in his six games played this year. He’s also in the final year of his 5 yr/$35 million-dollar contract.
With his contract expiring after the 2022-2023 season, van Riemsdyk could potentially be a valuable trade deadline acquisition piece for a contending playoff team.
Bobby Brink
Brink underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip in July. His recovery timeline was estimated to be five months. Currently, Brink is on track to be back in late December. Per Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic, Brink has been skating with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Brink signed his ELC with the Flyers on April 10, after winning the NCAA National Championship with the University of Denver. He was the NCAA’s leading scorer with 57 points (14G, 43A) in 41 games. He was also a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Brink made his Flyers debut on April 12, against the Washington Capitals. Playing 10 games with the Flyers during the end of the 2021-2022 season, Brink notched four assists.
Sean Couturier
Couturier appeared to be ready for the start of training camp in September:
“When I got back two weeks ago, I went to the doctors and everything seems good.”
Sean Couturier; 9/12/2022
Unfortunately, Couturier then suffered a herniated disc in his back and underwent a second back surgery on October 27. His recovery timeline remains 3-4 months.
Couturier has yet to play a game since December 18, 2021. He underwent his first back surgery in February and missed the remainder of the 2021-2022 season. Couturier only played in 29 games for the Flyers during 2021-2022 and scored 17 points (6G, 11A).
Cam Atkinson
Atkinson has yet to suit up for the Flyers this season. Missing all of the preseason as well, Atkinson remains week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Details of the injury have yet to be disclosed.
Atkinson was excited to get back to work with Tortorella. The pair worked together in Columbus from 2015-2021. Tortorella was anticipating Atkinson to be ready for the start of 2022-2023, but things changed quickly:
“Things just changed. I’m not going to get into a long discussion about it. Things changed and it just went the other way. That’s one frustrated young man, right there. He wants to be a big part of this, he was one of the best players last year when he came here. It’s very frustrating, but his body just is not allowing him to get to the spot where he can start conditioning again and start getting ready to play. I’m hoping that could change as quickly as it went the wrong way, I’m hoping it can go as quickly the right way.”
John Tortorella; 10/27/2022
Atkinson was prepping his teammates for Tortorella’s training camp throughout the summer. He had been part of six camps run by Tortorella and was receiving questions on what to expect:
“Throughout the summer, a lot of guys have reached out. As we’ve been back for the last three weeks, a lot of guys have been asking more and more questions. Those anxious butterflies are creeping in, but that’s what you want. I know firsthand it’s going to be tough and I still get anxious about it”
Cam Atkinson; 9/13/2022
Ryan Ellis
No update was made regarding Ellis. He has only played four games with the Flyers since being acquired in the summer of 2021. He missed 78 games during the 2021-2022 season.
The consensus is that Ellis’s career appears to be over. The 31-year-old defenseman carries a cap hit of $6.250M for the next five seasons.
Jackson Cates recalled
Forward Jackson Cates has been recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Cates has played in three games with the Flyers already this season. With the Phantoms this season, Cates has seven points (4G, 3A) in 11 games played. He appeared in 11 games with the Flyers during 2021-2022, recording one goal in 11 games.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
