February 21, 2016
Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto will miss the rest of the season following surgery to repair a torn ligament in his wrist, general manager Ron Hextall revealed Sunday.
The 25-year-old blue liner has 13 points (4G, 9A) in 52 games this season, but will now be sidelined for "three to four months," according to Hextall. The Flyers, who return to action Tuesday in Carolina, are currently five points out of the final Eastern Conference wild card spot and will have some decisions to make prior to the February 29th trade deadline.
During his conference call with reporters on Sunday, Hextall has echoed the same philosophy as he did in his first season as a GM around the deadline -- one that seemed to work last year when the Flyers found themselves in a similar position.
“We’re not going to add. I’ve said that all along. I guess if something came along that helped us now and in the future, but we’re not looking to add a player that’s a rental. That is not going to happen, but if we can add something that made sense for this year and years to come, then we would look at that. We’re not going to mortgage part of our future to try to push to make the playoffs. We feel comfortable we have enough depth with what we have now to take a run.” [flyers.nhl.com]
Still, the Flyers are on the outside looking in. But when they take the ice on Tuesday, their lineup could get a boost without Hextall ever having to pick up the phone.
That's because centers Sean Couturier -- out the last nine games with a lower-body injury -- and Claude Giroux -- who missed Saturday's game after taking a hit to the head from Canadiens' P.K. Subban -- both skated on Sunday and could return against the Hurricanes.
Injury updates from GM Ron Hextall:
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 21, 2016
-Couturier skated today; is ahead of schedule & day-to-day
-Giroux skated today; Possible to play Tues.
Hextall categorized Couturier as "day-to-day" and said the forward is "ahead of schedule." Prior to his injury, Couturier had noted 16 points (of his 24 on the season) in his last 16 games, including six of his nine goals. In their nine games without him, the Flyers are just 3-3-3.
