Nolan Patrick’s Offseason Will Play A Role In His Flyers Future

Nolan Patrick did not mince words when asked about his performance this season. He knows what’s at stake for him with the Flyers organization. They have been patient with him over the years. But the time may be running out for that.

This was Patrick’s first full season since the 2018-19 campaign. He first mentioned the headaches to the team during June of 2019. It wasn’t until months later and visits with countless doctors that they determined it was a migraine disorder. There wasn’t an easy treatment for that. Medication and rest was what they determined as the Flyers labeled him week-to-week.

That turned out to be the entirety of the season. He did begin to find himself a part of practice as the season finished. There was a hope that he was gearing up to join the team. Even more so when the season was paused in March. More time to recover could only mean good things, right? Well the regular season was cancelled as teams went straight to the playoffs. And Patrick did not find himself on the postseason roster.

That shouldn’t have been a surprise. Patrick’s first action in over a year was not going to be in the postseason. But it was a slight disappointment into what most had hoped would feature his return. That made this next season even more important for him. It was fair to admit some trepidation on his part. And there was some.

Patrick did admit during his exit interview that there may have been some hesitation on his part when the season began. It was on his mind, as anyone with an injury would be thinking about. It had an affect on his play. And by the numbers alone, it was easy to see. He had four goals and nine points in 52 games. That last number is what’s most important, though.

After missing an entire season of hockey, Patrick was able to physically make it through this year. While the team rested him a few times, it was not due to any new injuries. He was able to take hits and in general just be on the ice with his teammates. But even Patrick knows what wasn’t enough. He was critical about his play and expressed an excitement to have a healthy offseason of training.

”It’ll be the most important off-season of my life for sure. The last couple of years were tough so I’m looking forward to having a healthy summer training.”

Straight and to the point, Patrick knows what he has to do. He stressed that multiple times throughout his interview, having a healthy offseason to train and get back at it next season is something he is looking forward to.

That was a similar response when Chuck Fletcher was asked about Patrick. They believe that he will be able to get stronger and get his explosiveness back with the time that he will have.

Patrick accepted a qualifying offer of $874,125 for this season. It’s likely he will get a similar offer this offseason. He needs another season to become arbitration eligible. So he doesn’t hold many cards in that regard. He does hold the most important one though.

It is now up to him to show what a fully healthy summer of training can do for him. Barring a setback of any kind, Patrick won’t be able to say he came into training camp behind. This being the most important offseason of his life is an understatement. It will be huge for his future with the Flyers.