The Philadelphia Flyers finally got some positive injury news on practice Monday afternoon.
Tyson Foerster, who has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, returned to practice on Monday for the first time since getting injured on Feb. 10. Rasmus Ristolainen (upper-body) was not spotted at practice, although the Flyers were originally hopeful the defenseman would be able to return some point over the weekend.
Foerster practiced in a yellow non-contact jersey, which indicates the Flyers won’t have him back just yet.
The good news, though, is that the Flyers only play two games this week. They’ll face the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago on Wednesday night, and then return home to the Wells Fargo Center to host the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon. Depending on how Foerster feels, I imagine the Flyers could see him return for New York on the weekend.
It’s unclear what Ristolainen’s status will be; his ailment was originally said to be minor, though recent reports indicated that he would have a procedure in a few weeks and then be re-evaluated after that. If this is the case, any Flyers trade hypotheticals involving him will be off the table, because he’ll be out through the 2024 NHL trade deadline.
As for the Flyers, that means veteran Marc Staal will have a regular place in the 11-forward, seven-defensemen lineup as he continues to rotate with youngster Egor Zamula. Nick Seeler, Travis Sanheim, Cam York, and Sean Walker all still have their places in the lineup locked in, barring anything unforeseen.
As the Flyers continue to practice throughout the week, we’ll continue to monitor any changes in Foerster’s status, as well as keeping on the lookout for any signs of Ristolainen.
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