Date Published: 12-1-2022
Photo Credit: Zack Hill
The Flyers are already without the services of Sean Couturier, Ryan Ellis (Season most likely), Tony DeAngelo, Travis Konecny, James van Riemsdyk, and Bobby Brink. Hopefully all is well for Cam Atkinson to return tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, “It’s obviously good to be back with the team. It’s definitely getting closer,” Atkinson said Monday after practice. “It’s good to be back with the guys, battling, and going through a lovely Torts practice,” he said with a smile.
For those wondering, the Flyers have been decimated up front for a large part of the season. The depth of the system is being tested once again, as Nic Deslauriers and Zack MacEwen both have earned new roles within the top six at times mainly due to injuries.
The mystery of Cam Atkinson
No one knows what is going on with Atkinson in terms of his injury, yes it remains a mystery. The only information that has been given to the us (The media) was it’s an Upper Body Injury. It’s not that anyone needs to know what or has been going on with Atkinson in terms of his injury, but he went from possibly playing in the home opener, to day to day, to week to week, to unknown. With everything that has been going on injury wise with Ryan Ellis over the course of the past few years. It was understandable for some fans to be worried that it was an Ellis 2.0 situation.
“He’s definitely a guy who can score goals, and makes a lot of plays,” Joel Farabee said after Monday’s practice. “He’s someone we need offensively.”
The acquisition of Cam Atkinson highlighted some of the priorities that the Flyers had for their offseason shopping list in 2021: leadership, ability to play 5-on-5 and special teams, and a focus on shooting. Before the two Covid shortened seasons, Atkinson averaged 20+ goals per season. His career high came in the 2018-2019 season when he scored 41 goals to go along with his 28 assists. The ability for the Flyers to score goals has been a missing link for the 2022-23 season thus far.
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Besides his talents on the ice, Atkinson was brought in as a veteran leadership presence. He was an Alternate Captain with the Blue Jackets and was familiar with a lot of the players on the Flyers roster at the time he was traded to the orange and black. John Tortorella is hoping that forwards like Atkinson can contribute in multiple areas of the game.
Kris Letang
Let’s put the Flyers/Pittsburgh Penguins rivalry aside for a player that needs some prayers. Kris Letang suffered a stroke on Monday, and he is recovering from his second stroke of his NHL career. According to the Penguins, he is not suffering from any lingering affects from the stroke, but let’s continue to think about Letang and his family during this difficult time. Hopefully, he comes back better than ever, and we at Flyers Nitty Gritty would like to wish Letang a fast and speedy recovery.
