Brian Boucher went through it as a player and so he knows what it’s like to watch when any valued teammate goes out for a considerable amount of playing time.
This year’s Flyers team will face its first challenge because it will be without the services of leading goal-scorer Tyson Foerster, who will be out the next two to three months with an upper-body injury.
Foerster was hurt in Monday night’s game against Pittsburgh, not too long after he had scored his 10th goal of the season.
Boucher, a former goaltender for the Flyers and several other NHL teams and now a TV analyst for NBC Philadelphia, said it’s time to employ the old “next man up” adage.
“They’re going to have to,” Boucher said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon. “This is going to be an opportunity for whomever. Maybe more of an opportunity for (rookie Nikita) Grebenkin. Maybe they call somebody up.”
That might include someone like highly regarded Alex Bump from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms or even a veteran like Carl Grundstrom.
Whoever it is, they’re going to have a challenge filling Foerster’s skates.
“I think it’s a big loss,” Boucher said of the injured player. “It seemed like he was just starting to get going offensively. And he’s so good defensively already. That part of his game has been there in the last couple years.
“The offense, he was just scratching at the surface. It felt like this year was going to be one of those years where he was going to really bust out offensively.”
As mentioned, this is the first significant injury the Flyers have faced this season, if you don’t include defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who’s been out since last season.
To put it mildly, it will be a good test of team character and resilience.
“They’ve got to move on from it,” Boucher said “If you look around the league, a lot of teams have been hit by injuries. Tampa Bay, we just played them, they’re missing a lot of guys. They schooled the Flyers in that game.
“That was a well-coached team (Jon Cooper) that had everybody on the same page with guys who you had no idea who they were. It can be done. Everybody is just going to have to pull on the rope.”
As for the Flyers, whether it’s Grebenkin, Bump or Grundstrom, they’re going to have their work cut out for them.
“I don’t know what they plan to do,” Boucher said. “If it’s Bump, you’ve got to put him in the top nine. He’s basically got to slot in where Foerster’s minutes were.
“You can’t call up Bump and put him on the fourth line. It’s not fair to the kid. I don’t think it’s good for his development, in my opinion. Grebenkin, who’s been chomping to get more, maybe he elevates and maybe you call up Grundstrom to go on that fourth line.”
Boucher trusts that GM Daniel Briere and coach Rick Tocchet will figure out the right plan.
“Those are the decisions that I think they have to make as an organization, what’s best for Bump long term,” Boucher said. “Maybe they call him up for a couple games and give him a little cup of coffee. Maybe a little jolt. He’s played well down there, dangle the carrot, give him an opportunity, see what he can do.
“But if he’s not going to play more than 10 minutes, then you’re not going to get what the potential is for a player like that.”
Boucher also believes Grebenkin, who’s been in and out of the lineup so far this year, has NHL potential.
“I think what I like about him is he’s kind of not afraid to get his nose dirty, that’s what I’ve seen,” Boucher said. “It seemed like in the preseason he was good down low, on the walls, wasn’t afraid of contact or going to the middle.
“In recent games, I think it’s going away a bit. But maybe with more minutes he can get into the flow more. That’s probably what stood out to me. It’s hard when you only play nine, 10 minutes. I’d be interested to see how he does with 13-14 minutes a night.”
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