Battered and Torn

Is it safe to say that the Flyers season has gone exactly how we all thought it was going to go? I wasn’t shocked when they started off the year hot only to ,shortly after, hit a steady decline due to injuries, like last season. Bobby Brink, Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, Felix Sandstrom, Rasmus Ristolainen, Owen Tippett, James van Riemsdyk, Carter Hart, Scott Laughton, Travis Konecny, Tony DeAngelo, Tanner Laczynski, Max Willman and Zack MacEwen, along with the continuous and mysterious Ryan Ellis Saga, were stricken with the injury bug this season but some are on a more serious of a note than others. It’s no secret Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis are among the most serious cases of the injuries to plague the franchise, also being two of the most impactful players on the roster, Cam Atkinson has thrown the fanbase and the media into a tailspin of confusion.

For those of you that don’t know, I am in my 2nd year of being media credentialed with the Flyers, Own and operate Olde City Sports Network and host the Flyers podcast on the network called “Flyers Alley” along with my co-hosts, Wayde Oruska Jr, Anthony Varrasso and Rachele Dicarlantonio. We’ve paid close attention to the Cam Atkinson injury and made some interesting discoveries. Like, he practiced with the team only when they visited the Columbus Blue Jackets where Cam has a residence, raising eyebrows with us but was no where to be found Voorhees at the practice facility. In my opinion, this doesn’t lie solely on Cam but with the franchise! It was only recently that Cam wouldn’t join the team this season at all when there were no updates, just the consistent response of “We’re not going to touch on anything with Cam” or “He’s close to coming back and is making progress” which clearly, wasn’t the case. When Anthony and myself were joined by former Philadelphia Flyers owner’s daughter, Lindy Snider, we touched on some issues we all had with the franchise and we all came to an agreement that one of them was everyone being left in the dark and the high ups holding so much information from the fans and media. It’s been no secret the fanbase is at it’s wits-end with the owners and general manager but what will it take to make the fans return? That is the million dollar question but for now, I think the main concern is keeping these players healthy and pointing the finger where it needs to be and that would be directly at the medical staff.

Reports have emerged that, last season, some players weren’t seeing the franchise medical staff but were seeking outside of the franchise for medical attention. Whether or not that’s true, it didn’t sure seemed to float in that direction this season, with all the injured listed above. Just something to keep in the back of your head the next time someone gets hurt and there are little answers being given.

Photo Credit - Philadelphia Inquirer

Jesse Bell - Olde City Sports Network/ Flyers Alley/ Center Ice