The Flyers have already been dealt a potential blow to their roster and free agency just begun.
Tyson Foerster suffered an injury while playing for Canada at the Men’s World Championship this summer. The team originally didn’t expect the injury to be serious, but an infection in his elbow necessitated surgery. Now there’s more of an unknown.
Anthony San Fillipo of On Pattinson originally reported the injury to be in his bicep, but the infection was later confirmed by the Flyers. San Fillipo also reported that there’s a chance Foerster could miss upwards of three months if things are as bad as they fear.
When Briere spoke after the Flyers free agent signings, he didn’t seem as concerned about an extended absence. Though, they don’t have much information at the moment as they wait for more scans to come back.
Regardless, it’s a tough blow for Foerster. He finished the season on a hot streak after a less than stellar sophomore campaign. His 25 goals were second on the team, while his 43 points were tied for fourth. Not to mention the trio of Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Noah Cates once provided the team with one of their best and most consistent lines.
With the hope and expectation that Foerster won’t miss an extended period, that still brings one question to mind. Who is going to replace him in the lineup? Not knowing how long he could be out, Briere didn’t want to allocate his money elsewhere. Especially since there’s almost zero belief that he will miss the entire season.
There are a few in-house options the Flyers could use. They are stacked on the wing so there are more than a few players who could step in for the time being.
“We have some young guys and maybe if he does have to miss time early in the season that they step up,” Briere said on Tuesday evening. “Maybe it's an Alex Bump, maybe it's a Porter Martone, or a [Devin] Kaplan, who played at the
end of the year for us. There are other guys that perform that maybe they get a look early in the season if they have a good camp.”
So let’s take a look at the three players Briere mentioned.
Alex Bump
Bump is a highly-touted prospect in the Flyers’ system. The fifth-rounder has a chip on his shoulder and is ready to prove everyone wrong that passed on him.
After winning a championship with Western Michigan, Bump signed an entry-level deal and reported to the Phatoms in late-March. He showed off his ability to get pucks on net, proven by the eight he was credited with in a playoff loss to Hershey. His scoring touch was evident as well.
Bump had three goals in his first three games with Lehigh Valley, two coming in the opening game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He cooled off in the series against the Bears, learning some valuable lessons on the faster pace from college that will only help him moving forward.
He could be one of the players to watch at training camp.
Devin Kaplan
Kaplan is a different story. It feels like he’s the most unlikely to make the team out of the three, unless the Flyers have a different solution for offense. Not to say that Kaplan couldn’t provide any, but that’s not necessarily the bulk of his game.
If Kaplan were to make the roster, it would likely be in a bottom-six role as a player who could provide depth and energy. He’s a player that will do everything you ask of him and then some. He’ll do the hard work on the ice, using his frame to win the puck back and his body to knock players over.
The Flyers do seem to like what Kaplan brings as they immediately burned a year of his ELC last season. He played in the team’s season finale against Buffalo. So he may already be on the radar.
Porter Martone
That brings up to one of the prizes of the NHL Draft. Martone’s chances to jump right into the league increased with Foerster hurt. He could provide a much-needed scoring touch and, while he isn’t the most physical, he could still use his large frame to get to the front of the net.
The Flyers would likely want Martone to get another year of development in either juniors or college. But if he has a big summer and impresses enough during training camp, they could bring him right into the fold.
Of course, that will depend on his decision for next season. Rumors have Martone potentially heading to Penn State next season. If he chooses the college route, he would not be able to attend training camp in September.
The Flyers have a few months before they have to figure out what to do. Maybe they’ll get lucky and Foerster won’t miss much, or any, time at all. But they have plenty of options to look at internally if need be.