Several Flyers’ players selected for the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milano Cortina) have recently been dealing with injuries, leading to concerns and at least one confirmed absence. The Flyers have four Olympians:
- Rodrigo Abols (Latvia, forward) — Suffered a lower-body injury (likely an ankle fracture) in the first period against the New York Rangers on January 17, 2026. He couldn’t bear weight on his right leg and was helped off the ice. He’s been placed on injured reserve, and he has been officially replaced on Latvia’s Olympic roster by Rihards Bukarts. This means he will miss the Olympics entirely, and coach Tocchet has expressed that Abols injury may not be season ending. Abols is descrfibed by Tocchet as month to month.
- Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland, defenseman) — Dealing with an upper-body injury that made him a late scratch and day-to-day recently. He was out for some games but there have been positive updates suggesting he might return before the Olympic break.
- Dan Vladar (Czechia, goaltender) — Out with an undisclosed/lower-body injury, listed as day-to-day. He was placed on IR at one point, but reports indicate it’s not expected to be long-term.
- Travis Sanheim (Canada, defenseman) — The only one currently healthy and unaffected by recent injuries.
Unfortunately, three of the four Flyers’ Olympians (Abols, Ristolainen, and Vladar) were injured around mid-January 2026, leaving Sanheim as the lone healthy representative. The injuries have compounded the Flyers’ broader injury issues this season. Abols’ absence is the biggest blow among them for Olympic participation, as Latvia has already confirmed his replacement.
The Olympics are approaching soon, so timelines for Ristolainen and Vladar will be key for their countries. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet has described some of these injuries as “not good” but not necessarily season-ending in all cases. This has been a tough stretch for the team overall with the injury bug hitting hard right before the Olympic break.
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