Photo Credit: Ricky Brown
A steady Right-Handed Defenseman in Ryan Ellis, who stands at 5’10 and weighs 180 pounds is a top pairing veteran Defenseman with Ivan Provorov, when healthy. That’s just it when healthy, as Ellis only suited up for the Flyers in four games for the Flyers this past season, but he is finally making progress in his rehabilitation, which is a great thing:
“Well, he’s continuing to progress, certainly improved since the end of this season,” Chuck Fletcher said. “Certainly, further along now compared to a month or two months ago. Saying that, the bulk of his rehab is still ahead of him. He’s starting to intensify his off-ice workouts. Its’s going well, but there is still several steps to go before he gets on the ice. It’s still difficult, if not impossible, to predict where he’s going to be at in three months. The last month has been encouraging, but there is still more work to do.”
Finally, Fletcher cleared the air on Ellis’s injury. However, he has still not progressed enough to skate. Another problem that was shared with the media yesterday is that Fletcher could not guarantee Ellis to be ready for training camp. This is massive if you’re the General Manager, do you prepare for life without him this season or do you prepare to have him back at some point.
“I don’t know how anyone could predict that right now. That’s certainly the hope and the goal. We’ll have to see. Again, he’s starting ramp up the rehab, which is great that he’s at the point where he could ramp it up, but we’ll just have to see how everything responds.” – Chuck Fletcher
Fletcher continued, “It’s multi-layered. It’s almost everything that’s in the middle of the body. Multiple areas where he is working on strengthen and rehab. Trying to put all the pieces back together. He’s made progress. He’s determined to get back and not just play but to be a good hockey player. Be the player that we wanted him to be when we acquired him. He was probably the most excited player last training camp coming in. After he got over the initial shock of coming in from Nashville, he was so excited to play and it was incredible watching him spend hour after hour with Ivan Provorov. They had breakfast together. They talked together before practice. They were partners on the ice. They had lunch together. He wanted to get to know Ivan so well that they would build this chemistry as quickly as they could on and off the ice. I was like this guy is a true professional. It was incredible, watching his interact with Ivan and Ivan interact with him. How they were trying to make each other better and then his world came crashing down. It’s been very difficult for him on many levels. Physically but also emotionally trying to become a part of the team when you played four games and your rehabbing all year. You are not with the guys. You’re not on the road. He’s very excited and determined to get back. He’s made progress. I’m not trying to be vague, but I don’t think anyone could look you in the eye and say he’ll be back by this time frame. He’s where we thought he would be. He’s where the medical people thought he would be. He’s got another step he’s got to take and hopefully that responds. Then another step and got another step. Get on the ice and then how does that respond. It may go quicker. It may go slower. For me, the ultimate goal is to get him back as quickly as possible. The goal has been for camp and for the start of the season. Hopefully, that’s the case, but the bigger picture is to get him back. That’s what we are focusing on.”
This Ellis situation was a weird one. From day to day, to week to week, to missing the entire season, all without knowing exactly what his injury was. Finally the City of Philadelphia, fans, media, and the organization have something to be happy about, with knowing Ellis’s injury, with a proper diagnosis finally, “I mean stats speak for themselves,” Ellis said at exit interviews. “Four games, five points. No, it’s obviously a very frustrating year. I think the hardest thing is the mental and emotional that it’s kind of put on me and my family, more so me. Kind of what I put them through has been tough, but as far as the team, I want to play here. I want to be here. I’m very excited. I came in very excited and I came in just as excited. The big thing is I need to play and I want to play. My whole life has been built around playing hockey and that got taken away from me, it’s been draining. With the plan we have and the steps we’re going to take in order to get back ready for next year, I haven’t been this excited in months because I finally have an approach and a path clear to go.”
A healthy Ellis could speed up the rebuild or aggressive retool, maybe not make this team a Stanley Cup contender, but a fringe playoff berth would be possible on the surface. I know that’s not good enough, but it beats what’s been transpiring the past few seasons. Ellis will stick up for his teammates, and also possesses good offensive instincts and great mobility. He can move the puck quickly out of danger, and owns a powerful point shot.
This 30-year-old Defenseman in Ellis is great with gap control. He suffocates his opponents, and has no problem transitioning from the defensive zone. Gone are the days the Flyers have trouble with getting out of their own end with him on the ice. Ellis is a great compliment to the young Ivan Provorov, as he can provide tutelage and mentor Provorov. Fletcher paid Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers for the services of Ellis. Ellis has five years remaining after this one, with a cap hit of $6.25 million. Durability is worrisome from a fan base that knows they need a to pairing defender to pair with Ivan Provorov, but it’s good to hear him excited again:
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He was hurt last year, and nagging injuries have been a detriment to how good of a defenseman he really is. However, when healthy he’s a handful or a pest to deal with. He’s excellent with clearing the crease, and that’s an area that the Flyers need help in. Ellis provides experience for a young backend that the Flyers currently have (Average age 27.5 last season). He registered five goals, and 13 assists in 35 games played, as he missed 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury last season with the Nashville Predators.
Joel Farabee
Fortunately, Fletcher gave more clarity on Farabee’s in injury. This is a new injury, not a recurring injury from the season. It’s really unfortunate, but it is what it is:
“It happened about two weeks ago,” Fletcher said. “It was crazy. It was one of his first formal workouts of the summer and he was warming up with light weights on the bench press. He felt, what he called some kind of pinching sensation in his neck area. He was able to see a doctor in the Syracuse area. Got some imaging done. We got him down here last Monday to see Dr. Yoon and he got him in for surgery four days later. I don’t even know what to say. It was extremely unfortunate and unlucky for him. I think we moved as quickly as we could once we knew he had issues.”
There is no timeline sort of speak at the moment, but at least it’s been taken care of. The Flyers will not rush him, rather they will take their time with him, “I am not even sure that that is important to me,” Fletcher said. “Just looking at some schedule drafts coming out, we have eight games in the month of October. To me, it’s about getting him right. I’m not 100% sure how quickly he can get into getting stronger and really working on, not just his upper body, but his lower as well and building some strength to help him become a little more durable. He plays hard and he’s a fearless kid. This was going to be a big summer for him, from strength and development scenario. That is certainly an important part of the rehab, just getting him healthy and stronger. For me whether it’s three months or four months at the end of the day, if he’s ready for Game One, great. If he misses five, six, seven games and we can push him a little further, that might make sense too. We’ll make every decision with him based on his long-term health, welfare and development.”
