The Flyers are indeed in a tough spot right now, with a string of injuries contributing to their recent slide. As of mid-January 2026, they’ve dropped four straight games (including back-to-back blowouts against the Tampa Bay Lightning and a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on January 14), and the injury bug has hit key players at a critical time in the season.
- Dan Vladar (starting goalie): Suffered an undisclosed injury during the January 14 game against Buffalo—he left after the first period and didn’t return. He’s being re-evaluated, and losing him could be huge, as some reports call it a potential “death knell” for their playoff push if it’s serious.
- Bobby Brink (RW): Day-to-day with an upper-body injury (out since early January, missed multiple games).
- Jamie Drysdale (D): Was on IR with an upper-body injury (retroactive to January 6), but updates suggest he could be nearing a return or was activated recently.
- Tyson Foerster (RW): Out for the season (arm/shoulder surgery from December).
- Others like Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body, day-to-day/missed recent game).
The team sits at 22-15-8 (or similar around 52 points), 5th in the Metropolitan Division, but the recent skid has them teetering near the playoff bubble. Unfortunately, the injuries have exposed depth issues, especially on offense and in net, leading to poor special teams play, defensive breakdowns, and struggles to generate scoring.
This feels like a “free fall” moment: the team was competitive earlier but can’t handle the attrition in a tough, condensed schedule. Management might use it as an excuse to delay bigger changes, but the lack of depth has been glaring.I
I Vladar’s injury isn’t long-term and some skaters return soon, they could stabilize—but right now, it’s a rough patch for Flyers fans.
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