After another lengthy stay on the injury list, Derick Brassard is finally ready to come back into the Flyers lineup. A nagging hip injury has seen him in and out of the lineup since the beginning of December. He returned for one game on December 8th and was subsequently out for almost a month. One game in January, and then another month out of the lineup.
It’s not easy to be in and out of the lineup at any time and just as frustrating to have to sit on the sideline and watch as the team went through multiple 10-game losing streaks. Brassard won’t necessarily be the answer and it will take a few games for him to get back up to speed. The schedule hasn’t made it easy, but he was able to get in a few skates during the All-Star break.
It’s also tough to watch your teammates out on the ice together when most of your skates are either coming by yourself or with just a single coach out there. It’s unfortunately been a common theme for multiple players this season. But Brassard has felt lucky enough to have been able to play as much as he has over recent time. He’s had a few issues with his shoulder to go along with the hip injury here, but he’s been fortunate otherwise.
"“I take a lot of pride in staying healthy in the last few years. Early on in my career, I missed a few stretches with my shoulders. Everything has been going good with that. I’ve played a lot of hockey too in the last five to seven years. Some long seasons, especially in the playoffs. Missing two months there…you can’t really do anything about it. There’s a lot of frustration.”"
For now, he’ll slot back into the center spot with Gerry Mayhew and Max Willman on his wings. Obviously, the three don’t have much experience playing together. Brassard didn’t want to put any expectations on what the three will be able to do with each other. He’s been able to watch both of them and complimented the relentlessness in which they both have when it comes to finding the puck.
Overall, Brassard has been a solid depth pickup for the Flyers. He’s posted four goals and 11 points in 19 games. He started off the season hot, with six of his 11 points coming in his first five games. He developed quick chemistry with the likes of Cam Atkinson and Joel Farabee at the time. He also felt pretty good when he had the opportunity to play with Claude Giroux.
Speaking of the latter, the two go all the way back to the QMJHL when they played against each other in the early 2000s. They’ve no doubt had plenty of battles in the NHL as well, but it’s been fun to be on the same team this time around.
"“A big-time competitor every day, shows up to work, whether it’s practice or games. He’s a big-time player and that’s what you want in your team…I was pretty excited this summer when I came here as a Flyer and being able to play with Claude.”"
Morgan Frost, Cam York remain in the AHL for now
Going into the break, the Flyers sent a few of their AHL-eligible players back to the Phantoms. Morgan Frost, Isaac Ratcliffe, Jackson Cates, and Cam York were able to get some work in with Lehigh Valley while the rest of the NHL squad rested up. But when the Flyers returned, it was only Ratcliffe who came back.
While that shines a bright light on how the organization has liked what Ratcliffe has brought, it’s fair to wonder why Frost and York did not come back. Brassard returning to the lineup likely has something to do with it. The development of those two players is still at the forefront of the organization’s mind. With that thinking, though, the roles they have at the NHL level are very different than what they see in the AHL.
So getting them more ice time and having them play a more increased role are just some of the things that went into the decision to have the two remain there for now.
"“For a guy like Frosty, he’ll have a chance to go play every situation down there. Get increased ice time for Yorkie. He’ll probably end up playing close to 30 minutes a game down there. Obviouisly penalty kill, playing in every situation, power play. We are very happy with what those guys have done and we want to keep pushing them to find that next level.” Mike Yeo said after Tuesday’s practice."
There’s no timetable on how long they will be down there. The Flyers obviously have a few other moving parts in their lineup. They had exactly 12 skaters on the ice for Tuesday’s practice as quite a few of their forwards remain sidelined. Even with Brassard coming back, they are still without Sean Couturier, Joel Farabee, Kevin Hayes, and Patrick Brown.
There wasn’t much of an update with Couturier and Farabee remains on the same four-week timeline. There was some hope that Brown would be back, but things haven’t progressed the way they hoped. Yeo wouldn’t call it a setback as they don’t want to rush him back.
Hayes skated before practice and while that is a good sign, there’s likely still a ways to go before he joins the lineup again.