The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that centre Kevin Hayes underwent abdominal surgery today and will miss 6-8 weeks. Defenceman and teammate Sam Morin will also be out 6-8 weeks after surgery to remove loose bodies from his right knee.
INJURY UPDATES:
-Kevin Hayes (abdominal surgery on Sept. 21 – out 6-8 weeks)
-Samuel Morin (right knee surgery to have loose bodies removed on Sept. 10 – out 6-8 weeks)
-Wade Allison (right ankle sprain – out indefinitely) pic.twitter.com/QC93TwDr1V— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 21, 2021
With the 2021-22 season getting underway in three weeks, both Hayes and Morin will miss at least the first three weeks to start the season.
Kevin Hayes, Sam Morin Injured
Kevin Hayes is a vital part of the Flyers offence. Hayes had 12 goals and 31 points in 55 games last year. Should he miss any more time than his expected 6-8 week recovery, the Flyers could find themselves playing catchup early in the highly competitive Metropolitan division.
This is the second surgery Hayes has undergone this offseason. He had successful surgery on a sports hernia back in June.
Sam Morin had two previous ACL surgeries back in 2020. This is a setback for the defenceman; he’s struggled to enter the lineup since the injuries have begun to pile up. The towering 6’7”, 230 lb defenceman split time between the Flyers and their AHL affiliate, the Leigh Valley Phantoms. Morin had one goal in 20 games and was a minus-7 with the Flyers last season.
Going Forward
The Flyers will likely move Claude Giroux down to the second line to fill in the centre role. Giroux has played centre in his career before, so this would be the most seamless transition. If the Flyers choose to not juggle their top line, we may see Derick Brassard or Scott Laughton potentially take on a larger role and move up to the second line. This also brings an opportunity for some of the young guys entering training camp to make an impression and secure a spot on the opening night roster.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
