Anytime the 2017 second overall pick in Nolan Patrick hits the ice it’s a good thing. It means he hasn’t suffered a setback, and things are progressing, like Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher has stated to the media over and over this offseason:
This past Saturday on October 10, 2020, Chuck Fletcher said to reporters via Zoom that Patrick was skating and scrimmaging in Brandon. Moreover, he also stated that Patrick continues to get better, and that he is looking good. Fletcher is 100% right, it may not seem like a big deal to play in a Non-Contact scrimmage, but it remains hopeful for a return when the season starts.
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The Flyers have not prioritized the third line Center position this offseason for this coming 2020-21 season. This is yet another good indicator that Patrick will return to the Flyers’ lineup at some point. Last season Fletcher traded for Kevin Hayes’s rights, and inadvertently signed him a few weeks later before free agency began. The third line Center position was prioritized, and to date that has not been the case this offseason. Here are pictures below of the scrimmage, and the photos are courtesy of Chris Maher @_ChrisMaher:
Patrick tallied a few goals, and registered a few helpers today. He really looks good and confident. To me this is all good news. Yes, the Flyers have Claude Giroux , Scott Laughton, and possibly Morgan Frost to fill the void until Patrick enters the lineup. However, all the positive reports by the Flyers top brass, and these instagram live videos of the scrimmages that Patrick is partaking in appears to be good news that he will indeed play for the Flyers at some point this coming season.
Flyers fans are anxiously standing by, and most are optimistic that Patrick will return to the Flyers lineup early in the season. I will say this, the more Patrick continues to hit the ice it shows he hasn’t suffered a setback, and it shows he is getting better. These are some positives that people can take away from this. The World will not know if he can resume contact until he is properly screened by Flyers doctors at Training Camp in December. Until then it’s a wait and see, but it really does appear he is improving.
He will play at the start of the season !