Tyson Foerster had recently come back to the lineup after missing four games. His return was just 10 games, where he scored five goals. Sadly, he is out again. This time, instead of missing a few games, Foerster is expected to miss at least two to three months with an upper-body injury.
Foerster's injury will sideline the Flyers' leader in goals (10). While they are winning, Philadelphia is 28th in goal scoring with just 69 goals all season. Foerster's output represents 17% of those goals. Someone is going to have to step up, but who will it be?
Well, first off, the Flyers called up Carl Grundstrom to fill the missing spot on the roster. Now, if you think that's the solution, don't worry. He's played just one game so far this year. He's just here for depth purposes.
The immediate solution to Foerster getting hurt is already here. Most likely, Foerster's untimely injury might give Nikita Grebenkin some more time to showcase his skill set. Grebenkin has been relegated to mostly time on the fourth line. Moving him to one of the upper three lines could allow the fascinating rookie to see what he can do. He's not going to be Foerster, but it would be interesting to see how he would fit on the top three lines and how that would change those lines' dynamics.
If he doesn't work out, the Flyers do have some other internal options. Down at the AHL level, the Flyers have some prospects at the Lehigh Valley Phantoms who could bring their talents to the team. Anthony Richard, a center/left winger, shares the team lead with seven goals and has added 10 assists to his points total. Lane Peterson, who plays center and right wing, also has seven goals for the Phantoms with seven assists.
Highly touted prospect Alex Bump leads the Phantoms with 12 assists and has scored four goals. Likewise, Denver Barkey also shares the team lead with seven goals and seven assists. Any one of these prospects could be called up if the Flyers feel that they are ready.
However, if the Grebenkin experiment doesn't work and the prospects aren't ready, the Flyers may have to find outside help. There are a lot of rumors that are tying the Flyers to the Vancouver Canucks. That could be more of a long-term solution than something the Flyers do now. It is worth keeping an eye on as things develop, especially if the team is still in playoff contention come mid-January to early February.
Speaking of longer-term views, we have to discuss Foerster himself. He's a dynamic scorer and a popular teammate. He also has a habit of getting hurt. The Flyers have him locked up through next year, and then he'll become an RFA. He's cheap at $3.75 million when you consider his talent level.
With Porter Martone tearing up the NCAA and with prospects like Bump and Barkey knocking on the door, could Foerster find himself on the trade block when he returns? Could he bring the Flyers that defender or big-bodied center they've been craving? Could he bring in a haul of draft picks? We'll just have to see.