When you are a physical player, there is always the chance that you may run into someone who may get the better of you. For the Flyers’ Zack MacEwen, this is exactly what happened. And it will cost him, and the Flyers, about five weeks.
In the game against the Minnesota Wild, MacEwen was involved in one of four fights in the game. For him, he got involved with Marcus Foligno.
This is not the first time that the two have faced off in a scrum. Back when MacEwen was on the Canucks, the two did battle then.
After this fight, MacEwen did not return to the game. He was diagnosed with an upper-body injury. However, we now know why he did not return. He broke his jaw. On Saturday morning, while the team was prepping to face off against the Winnipeg Jets, he was getting surgery. He is likely out for about five weeks; which could be up to 12 games.
Philadelphia Flyers Zack MacEwen is out for 5 weeks
With MacEwen out, Kieffer Bellows is taking his place in the lineup for now. This is Bellows’s first time in the lineup since Dec. 17. It is also likely that the Flyers could bring up a prospect from Lehigh Valley and give them an opportunity to fit in.
MacEwen was picked up by the Flyers in 2021 from the Vancouver Canucks on waivers. On a team that was devastated by injuries (kind of like this year), he was given an opportunity to play and made the most of it. In 73 games, he scored three goals and had six assists. This year, he has four goals and five assists in 46 games.
He is not the best player on the team, but with Patrick Brown and Nic Deslauriers, he has become part of a very formidable fourth line. MacEwen has even averaged about 12 minutes of ice time a night; far more than what you typically see for a fourth-line player. He has even participated in a few penalty kills and power plays.
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Coach John Tortorella has been rewarding players who tough it out and work hard. You saw this, to some degree, with Lukas Sedlak. You see it a lot now with Noah Cates and MacEwen. They put everything they have out there on the ice and never give up on a play. MacEwen’s toughness will be missed for the next few weeks.