The Philadelphia Flyers announced that right winger Wayne Simmonds will be sidelined for 2-3 weeks with an undisclosed upper-body injury. This was closely followed by an announcement that goaltender Michal Neuvirth suffered a lower-body injury in the same game. He is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks.
Per #Flyers GM Ron Hextall, F Wayne Simmonds will be out 2-3 weeks with an upper-body injury, while G Michal Neuvirth will be out 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury.https://t.co/yVHqVhp2zY
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 20, 2018
Wayne Simmonds And Michal Neuvirth Injured
Although General Manager Ron Hextall has not disclosed any further details of Simmonds injury, it is assumed he acquired it when tussling with New York Rangers defenceman Anthony DeAngelo during Sunday’s game
So far this season, he scored 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points. He also added 55 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 48.5 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -0.7.
Over his ten-year NHL career, Simmonds has played for the Los Angeles Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers. He has put up 222 goals and 213 assists for 435 career points in 746 career games. He was originally drafted in the 2nd round, 61st overall, of the 2007 NHL draft by the Kings.
“You take any player out of your lineup, it’s going to hurt, but especially Simmer,” Teammate Jakub Voracek said on Simmonds injury. “It’s something that happens to every team around the league, and we have to make sure we find a way to grind it out without him.”
In the same game, Michal Neuvirth finished the first period but did not return. It appeared to be a groin strain after saving a Mats Zuccarello shot.
So far this season, he has started in 17 of his 21 games for the Flyers. Neuvirth’s numbers are decent, posting a 2.61GAA and a .915 SV%.
Over his nine-year NHL career, Neuvirth has been with a few teams. He was originally drafted in the 2nd round, 34th overall, of the 2006 NHL draft by the Washington Capitals. Other teams, he has played for include the Buffalo Sabers, New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers. He has started in 220 out of 249 career games giving him a 2.67 career GAA and a .912 Sv %.
What This Means for the Future
Simmonds will be missed offensively for the Flyers as he is currently third on the team for goals (20). Half of his goals are on the powerplay. The Flyers have surged forward in the latter half of this season to become third in the competitive Metropolitan Division.
Neuvirth had to step up when Brian Elliott underwent core muscle surgery. His loss is the reason the team went out and traded for Petr Mrazek. It also proves that Neuvirth is becoming an injury/sickness liability, one the Flyers may be tempted to move on from.
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