Heading into a crucial two-game Florida swing against Florida and Tampa Bay, the Flyers received some mixed news regarding key players on Wednesday.
Defenseman Nick Seeler, who suffered what appeared to be a foot injury after blocking a shot against the St. Louis Blues on Monday night, was placed on injured reserve and will be out for the foreseeable future.
On the flip side, the Flyers are hoping to get leading scorer Travis Konecny back after he missed six games due to an injury he suffered in practice.
With Seeler now joining fellow defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Jamie Drysdale on the sidelines, the Flyers called up defenseman Adam Ginning from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Ginning, a native of Sweden, did play one game for the Flyers last season and that experience should help him should be play against the Panthers on Thursday night.
Although rookie right wing Tyson Foerster picked up some of the slack during Konecny’s absence, with six goals in five games, it never hurts to have a top scorer back in the lineup against powerful teams such as the Panthers and the Lightning.
Konecny was able to take part in contact drills during Wednesday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J. and that was an encouraging sign.
“I’m not sure yet,” Konecny said of possibly playing in the first game in Florida. “But I feel good. I got in some contact.”
Konecny had a chance to watch some games during his time offand evaluate what he witnessed.
“They did a great job,” he said. “It’s kind of been like that the last two years. When guys go down, (other) guys step up. They’re collecting points wherever they can and that’s the main thing right now.”
As for the playoff chase, the Flyers entered Wednesday four points up on the New York Islanders (who have two games in hand) for the last guaranteed playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division.
The Flyers haven’t been in postseason action since the abbreviated 2019-20 season so there aren’t a whole lot of players on the roster with playoff experience under the Flyers’ banner.
“I think the vibe is great right now,” Konecny said. “A lot of confidence in the room and belief in the right way. We’re not overthinking that we’re so good that we’re going to be able to just win games. We have confidence that we can be in games and I think everyone is right where they should be. Working hard, doing the right things.
“Personal points don’t matter right now. It’s just a matter of doing whatever you have to do to get that win and get the points. Just keep climbing as far as we can and see what happens.”
Coach John Tortorella would love to have his best forward back to add a spark to the offense.
“He’s probably one of the biggest pieces we have,” the coach said. “The way he’s played this year, all the situations we’ve put him in. He’s been missed sorely. But it’s given other people opportunities. It gave me an opportunity to look at a (Olle) Lycksell; Bobby Brink gets another chance. You turn the page until he comes back, figure out what’s going on with some other guys.”
>Trade deadline? Don’t be distracted
The NHL trade deadline is coming up on Friday and Konecny, one of the few players who is probably trade-proof, was asked how much of a distraction that might or might not be.
“It’s all part of it,” Konecny said. “You go through it every year. You’re aware of it. But you just stay focused on tomorrow’s game. That’s all you can do.”
>Ginning ready if called upon
Meanwhile, Ginning has been playing with poise lately and sounds excited about getting another crack at NHL play if he’s called upon.
“It was just one game (last season with the Flyers) but there are things I can take with me,” he said.
Ginning just played three games in three nights with the Phantoms and came out of that stretch feeling pretty good about himself.
“I was happy with my weekend,” he said. “I played the way I wanted to play with a lot of physicality, moving the puck quickly.”
If he does get into action against either of the two Florida teams, he knows he’s in for a challenge.
“It’s going to be tough but I feel I’m ready for it,” he said. “I’m ready to see what happens if I am playing.”
Tortorella said Seeler will be missed.
“He’s kind of a locker room guy,” the coach said. “Not by his mouth but by how he plays. It’s a big (loss) for us there. But we have some young kids (Ginning, Ronnie Attard) on the back end now, get some time next game maybe. You just fill in and hope ‘Seels’ gets back as quickly as possible.”
>Short shots
Scott Laughton did not practice on Wednesday due to illness. Cam York was off for a maintenance day.
