The Flyers will return to the ice for the first time in 10 days after a COVID-19 outbreak but will do so without six regulars. Konecny, Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Justin Braun, Oskar Lindblom and Scott Laughton will all miss Tuesday's game against the Rangers.
As reported yesterday, Simmonds will miss an extended period of time after breaking his wrist on Saturday. With Simmonds out on Monday, Rasmus Sandin will make his season debut as the seventh defenseman.
Couturier has been out since January 15th but was a full participant in Saturday's practice and may be available for Sunday's afternoon game. Head coach Alain Vigneault said that Couturier is close but wouldn't commit to him playing Sunday.
Konecny was held without a shot in 17:33 TOI in Thursday's win and has just one assist and one shot in his last three games. Head coach Alain Vigneault was displeased with his top-6 despite the win and it looks like he was particularly unhappy with Konecny, who could be a healthy scratch on Saturday. Konecny stayed on for extra work with the scratches following the morning skate, so look for Samuel Morin to replace him vs. the Islanders.
This was a necessary move if Markus Nutivaara is to make his season debut, so Tippett goes to the taxi squad and either Juho Lammikko or Ryan Lomberg will replace him upfront.
Thompson played just 3:10 TOI before leaving Thursday's game in Ottawa with a lower-body injury. Moving him to IR means that he will miss at lest the next three games. Kristian Vesalainen is expected to replace him in the lineup on Saturday.
Gilbert played 9:54 TOI in his season debut on Tuesday. Gilbert played because Ian Cole was traded for Greg Pateryn a few hours before the game. With Pateryn available on Thursday, Gilbert will be scratched.
Couturier was forced to leave Friday's game with a mid-body injury and did not return. An MRI on Saturday revealed a Costochondral separation, which sounds horribly painful (Google it). Missing two weeks will cost Couturier at least the next seven games. While this is a brutal blow for the Flyers they have some of the best centre depth in the NHL and are built to withstand this loss.
Couturier was forced to leave Friday’s win over the Penguins with a shoulder injury and will get an MRI on Sunday to reveal the severity of the damage. The Flyers are off until Monday, so he may not miss time if it isn’t too serious but expect the Flyers to provide an update in the next 48 hours.
Juulsen was a first-round pick (No.26 overall) in 2015 but only played in 44 NHL games since. Juulsen has dealt with headache issues in recent years, last year playing just 13 games with Laval (AHL). Still, he is just 23-years-old and has a bright future as long as he can stay healthy and on the ice.
Thompson has been making his rounds in recent years, as he lands with his sixth team in five years. The 36-year-old provides almost no offence but will serve as a fourth-line centre and is a quality penalty-killer.
The Maple Leafs made it know that they wanted to get tougher to play against heading into 2021 and Simmonds brings some goal-scoring and toughness to the lineup. He's not the 30-goal scorer he used to be and will be a bottom-6 forward in Toronto but has averaged 14 goals, 17 assists (31 points) and 157 hits per 82 games over the last two seasons.
