The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that forward Nolan Patrick is expected to be sidelined for 7-10 days with an upper-body injury.
INJURY UPDATE: #Flyers forward Nolan Patrick will be out with an upper-body injury for the next 7-10 days. https://t.co/axaMVO1ODV
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 11, 2018
Nolan Patrick Out With Upper Body Injury
It was unclear how the injury occurred, but speculated to be from a high stick collision in the first period of Wednesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
The Canadian centre had a tough season to start last year, but finished with 13 goals and 17 assists in 73 games. He also had a 48.9 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -0.2. So far Patrick has appeared in every game, but has yet to achieve a point.
Regardless of this, it will be a significant blow for the Flyers who have had mixed performances already this season. Patrick was originally drafted by the Flyers in the 1st round, 2nd overall of last years draft.
What This Means For The Future
Although there is no further injury information at this time, without Patrick there is a significant gap in forwarding depth. Veteran James van Riemsdyk is also injured, so it is not an optimum season start for the Flyers.
Not a great start for Patrick either, as some critics deem him an overvalued top draft pick. This will be the most devastating for the young hopeful who has already battled with an injury in his short NHL career. As a result, Patrick will have to battle and rally again to make a significant impact again when recovered.
It is likely that we may see Jordan Weal slot into that role in the meantime. He has been a healthy scratch twice, despite the favorite to win the third center spot during camp. Jori Lehtera appeared to get shifts in Patrick’s spot so that may be another option the Flyers go with. There is a chance Scott Laughton could move back to center, but he has been impressive on the wing so far this season.
Patrick is likely to miss about four games if he is out the full 10 days. The Flyers will have to manage without him, starting Saturday afternoon against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Main Photo by Kate Frese (@KateFresePhoto), licensed to Last Word on Hockey. The Photographer retains all rights to the photograph.
