Tanner Laczynski To Likely Miss Season With Hip Injury

Philadelphia Flyers forward Tanner Laczynski will likely miss the entire 2021-22 season after he undergoes surgery on his left hip, according to Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault.

Laczynski originally injured his hip on September 25th, and the team waited a few days to determine if he needed surgery to repair it or if he could possibly play through it, and today’s comments unfortunately confirm the worse of the two options.

Laczynski had just been recently cleared to play back on September 17th after he had undergone surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip that he suffered back in April. This is obviously a huge blow for him and it’s especially deflating when you consider that he had a really good chance at fighting for a bottom-six roster spot with Philadelphia this preseason.

The 24 year-old Shorewood, Illinois native made his professional debut last season after spending four years at Ohio State, where he helped the Buckeyes reach the Frozen Four in 2018. He recorded six goals and four assists for 10 points in 14 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League last season. He also appeared in five games with the Flyers, but did not score any points in his brief tenure with the team.

Laczynski, a 2016 sixth-round pick by Philadelphia, was going to be a player to watch out for in training camp to try and push for a full-time roster spot this season. The Flyers have a logjam of players ready to fill in the bottom-six of the lineup and Laczynski is unfortunately out of the running now.

The Flyers’ latest injury opens up doors for other roster hopefuls to try and take advantage now. Tyson Foerster and Jackson Cates are two younger players that are trying to stick with the Flyers this season, and Foerster has especially been impressive throughout Development Camp and Rookie Camp, and now will look to keep up the hard work throughout Training Camp.

Players like Nate Thompson, Morgan Frost, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel may also be breathing a little easier as their jobs may be a bit more secure with another competitor in Laczynski gone for the time being as well.

Philadelphia has already lost Laczynski, Wade Allison, Kevin Hayes, and Sam Morin to injuries and there’s still 16 days left before the season opener on October 15th against the Vancouver Canucks. Two players likely destined for the Phantoms in Zayde Wisdom and Ryan Fitzgerald are also out while recovering from injuries.

According to Vigneault, Allison’s right ankle sprain is still being mulled over by the Flyers and doctors on whether or not he will also need surgery, which would keep him out of commission for an extended amount of time as well.