All the fun and excitement of last night’s win over the New Jersey Devils has been tempered a bit when the Philadelphia Flyers got some injury news today. Forwards Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne will miss the rest of the series and plenty more.
Both will require foot surgery and will miss significant time. Gagne could return in three weeks, while Carter is likely out at least six.
“We’re not going to use it as an excuse,” GM Paul Holmgren said. “We plan to march forward.”
Carter has been disappointing as usual, but he did net two goals last night, including the first on an impressive wrister. He was injured on a Chris Pronger blast.
Gagne, on the other hand, got banged up by a pair of Ilya Kovalchuk and Brian Rolston shots. I’m sure that was fun.
This puts more pressure on guys like Claude Giroux and Mike Richards to step up. Please don’t tell me this is going to be a 2000 thing all over again.
They just can’t seem to catch a break on having players get serious injuries come spring time..
It’s a curse for Ed Snider is the only thing I can speculate on.. They were playing well too…
Not good enough to win the cup anyways. Spend some darn money on a stud goal scorer and a stud goal tender.
carter is a stud goal scorer….40 last year and 35 this year, they do need a stud goalie…..gagne should get another shot to play this year if the flyers can continue the level they have been playing
Remember that there is a salary cap in hockey and signing a stud goalie is easier said than done. Yes I would love it but who is available and what do they cost in trade/money?
Get behind them and cheer em on – These guys have been warriors all year and this team has just been decimated by injury.
sd12… Do you not know the Flyers have been right at the limit of the cap for past several years??!! Ed Snider can never be called a cheapskate. If anything, he’s too easy with his $$. Impossible to add more money in payroll without dumping players… that’s why they had to get rid of Umberger before last year, and practically give away that Upshall to Phoenix, getting a “cheap” Carcillo in return… since he’s restrained himself in penalties, he’s really proven to be a better return than the other guy. Briere has a big longterm, no-trade contract. Carter has good contract. Richards recently got a longterm, huge contract. Pronger has one also, in fact, they had to “play money games” to actually afford to bring him here. So who do you want to dump?
Owners/GM’s are wanting to work with NHL to change current payroll/cap structure so teams have more flexibility in keeping/getting high quality players.