Danny Briere provides updates on Flyers' injured players

While the biggest news of the day was Ivan Fedotov's KHL contract being terminated, Danny Briere was busy speaking on the current iteration of the Flyers. He provided various updates on the team's three injured defensemen, while providing some clarity on the status of Alexei Kolosov.

Briere couldn't say much about Kolosov's arrival, aside from the fact that the team had hoped to have him here sooner. They are working to get his visa situated settled. He is likely to start in the AHL as the Phantoms try to make their playoff run. While that is the team's main concern, they will get clarification from the NHL if Kolosov would be allowed to be recalled as an emergency goaltender if need be.

Felix Sandstrom is currently on an emergency recall as the Flyers have burned all four of their post-deadline recalls. Due to the team not having enough goaltenders to fill a roster, they have been allowed to use the emergency in the net. But if Kolosov, and possibly Fedotov, come over, it's hard to say if the NHL will deem the situation as something out of their control at that point. They could argue that the Flyers have plenty of goaltenders available to them. However, with Cal Petersen in the minors, it may only matter who is currently at the NHL level.

Speaking of Fedotov, Briere was asked off-camera about the Russian goaltender. Understandably, he could not provide any information. The fact that the organization has been working on Fedotov for weeks without so much as a peep leaking out is massive as well.

Nick Seeler

"As far as I know Seeler is getting closer,” Briere said. “We don’t have an exact date but maybe... small chance this weekend, maybe after the weekend. He’s getting close. So it’s really encouraging in his case.”

Seeler has been out since suffering a lower-body injury against the Blues on Mar. 4. He took a puck off the ankle and was on the ice for quite some time. He would return briefly in the third period but missed the final 9:30 and all of overtime. That didn't stop the Flyers from inking him to a four-year contract extension.

Seeler has come a long way since joining the Flyers in 2021. He has gone from an extra defenseman to one of the team's most valuable pieces on the backend. He's always willing to block shots and use the body when need be. He is one of the most competitive players and has earned the respect of the entire Flyers organization.

Getting him back will be a huge boost to a defense playing with multiple rookies in the lineup.

Jamie Drysdale

"Drysdale is getting better and better. I don’t think he’s as close as Seeler is, but he’s moving in the right direction.”

Drysdale has been out with an upper-body injury since Feb. 25. He suffered what is believed to be a shoulder injury on a hit from Jansen Harkins. It did not look good at the time as Drysdale left the ice and ran down the tunnel with his left arm limply hanging from his body. He suffered an injury to the same shoulder that knocked him out eight games into the 2022-23 season.

Luckily, Drysdale avoided anything major. While he has missed over a month, a potential return before the end of the regular season is a good sign. He has been through plenty since his trade from the Ducks. He missed a few games due to illness as well. Drysdale has four points in 17 games with Philadelphia, two of them coming on the power play.

Rasmus Ristolainen

"Risto I'd say is probably a little ways away. In his case, we’re still not sure if he's going to be able to come back."

Ristolainen has played in just 31 games this season and hasn't played since Feb. 10. There hasn't been much on what ailment he is dealing with. He had a minor upper-body procedure shortly after his last game and the updates have been far and few in between. Ristolainen did skate last week, which is a positive sign. But with no significant update coming from Briere, it's fair to wonder if Ristolainen will return this season.

This isn't the first injury that Ristolainen dealt with this season. He was not ready for the start of the season, his first game coming on Nov. 25. That injury didn't come with much clarification either. What we did know was that he suffered a setback in mid-October where he wasn't on the ice at all. Is it possible this is the same injury that caused Ristolainen to miss the Flyers' first 20 games?

With the lack of information on what he is dealing with, it's easy to speculate. If a re-injury of any kind did occur, it would've taken a while to happen. Ristolainen played almost all 31 games consecutively, missing one game due to illness before appearing in one final game before the injury was announced. And it was classified as upper-body immediately. Now, the Flyers almost certainly knew the original injury or its location. So it may not matter that we now know what type of injury.

Nonetheless, Ristolainen's season is in serious jeopardy. The Flyers have just eight games remaining in the regular season.