• March 29, 2024

Lecavalier to Miss 3-4 Weeks, Call-Up Coming

Lecavalier_predsThe Philadelphia Flyers could have used some good news following their stumbling efforts in a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Unfortunately, the back spasms that have been preventing Vincent Lecavalier from participating in the last three games of the Flyers’ current road trip are apparently more serious than previously believed.

The Flyers announced this afternoon that Lecavalier suffered a “non-displaced fracture in his lower back.”  The new diagnosis now extends his recovery timetable from “day-to-day” to “three to four weeks.”

A worst-case scenario based on this diagnosis sees Lecavalier return to the ice in time for the final game of a six-game road trip on January 7 against the New Jersey Devils. He would miss thirteen games in addition to the three he’s already missed.

Lecavalier has been a great supporting piece for a Flyers’ team that has struggled with scoring all season. His 9 goals and 14 points ties him at 3rd in scoring with Matt Read and Sean Couturier, with only Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn producing more.

Schenn will have to anchor the second line indefinitely while Lecavalier remains out of the line-up, but the top three center positions should be in good hands. The Flyers are expected to call up at least one roster player from the Adirondack Phantoms before Monday’s tilt with the Ottawa Senators.

The three most likely candidates are Kris Newbury, Tye McGinn and Jason Akeson. Whoever among these three is recalled deserves to replace Zac Rinaldo for at least a game, after the latter earned 27 penalty minutes and a 7:00 penalty kill in just four seconds of ice time in Dallas.

Newbury has been the Flyers’ go-to call-up this season in large part because he fits the mold of a fourth liner at the NHL level and because they aren’t concerned with him not getting playing time in either league if he’s just sitting in the press box until needed. At 31 years of age, there is no loss to the organization in development if he isn’t playing.

Fans have wondered what it would take for McGinn to stick in the line-up after he was able to contribute offensively at the beginning of the season, but the judgment call appears to be that his game isn’t well rounded enough for a bottom six position. If there isn’t an obvious opening in the top six, he’s not as ideal of a candidate for a call-up.

You could make the argument that he deserves to take up Scott Hartnell’s time until the latter figures out what he needs to do to begin contributing regularly again, but that’s Craig Berube’s call to make.

Akeson would be an interesting call-up because he’s never received any extended look at the NHL level yet and could be a decent fourth liner if he can kill penalties. Akeson’s lone NHL game was the final game of the 2013 NHL season, in which he scored his first career NHL goal on his first shift.

The opponent? The Ottawa Senators.

McGinn has 5 goals and 7 points in 18 AHL games this season while Akeson has 4 goals and 17 points in 23 AHL games. Take your pick between them, but either one deserves a shot while the Flyers try to gain some traction with #40 out indefinitely.

Josh Janet

Josh Janet was raised in Northern New Jersey, but by an odd set of circumstances, is a Philadelphia sports fan. While recently converted to the Phillies, Josh is a diehard Flyers fan and can be expected to stay on top of the latest NHL news.

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eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
December 9, 2013 8:10 am

shame,Lecavalier should have been the feature Flyer instead of Giroux. Berube got his teeth broken now his back. The Flyers may have misused his talents.
Frustration move, put Andrej Meszaros to wing on 2nd line, can’t be any worse than having him front of his own net on defense.