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The Philadelphia Flyers (14-8-3) start their December with the sobering news that leading goal scorer Tyson Foerster will be out for two to three months due to an upper body injury.
Foerster left during the second period of Monday’s 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The non-contact injury seemed to occur on the follow-through of a shot on the power-play. He came off the ice with his right arm limp, went up the locker room tunnel, and did not return to the game.
As his linemate Noah Cates stated, it put the Flyers on their back foot for the rest of Monday’s game.
“He’s such an important part of our team,” Cates said. “Part of our core, special teams, everything. It kind of messed with our lineup. We have to go back to the basics, stick with the systems, and communicate with your guys.”
The left winger was off to a fantastic start to his 2025-26 season with 10 goals in 21 games. Now his team faces the possibility of not having him until the Olympic break (from February 6 to 24).
Now the Flyers, already offensively challenged, must consider their options to account for his absence.
Flyers Recall Grundstrom, Grebenkin To Feature In Top Nine?
In the short term, the team recalled forward Carl Grundstrom from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 6’0, 203lb Swedish winger has played one game with the Flyers this season. With the Phantoms, he has been one of the AHL team’s best forwards with six goals and 15 points in 19 games played. He has the versatility to play the left or right side.
As for Foerster’s lineup spot, winger Nikita Grebenkin has been in and out of the lineup, rotating with Nicolas Deslauriers. However he has played the last three games in a fourth line role with Rodrigo Abols and Garnet Hathaway.
The Russian forward has shown flashes of his abilities throughout the early season. He’s a quick skater and a tenacious forechecker when fully engaged. The latter aspect of his game is how he can cover for Foerster. However, he is still learning how to play at the NHL level, but he does profile as a gritty support player willing to play in the dirty areas of the ice.
Longer Term Options: Bump, Trades?
The Flyers have another group of options with the Phantoms which included Lane Pedersen, Anthony Richard, and Jacob Gaucher depending on how Grundstrom does.
There will be a lot of temptation to recall top prospect Alex Bump over the next two months. For now, the team seems content to let the Western Michigan product continue refining his game in the AHL. Bump has four goals and 16 points in 21 games, so there’s still learning to do.
Denver Barkey is also off to a good start with seven goals and 14 points in 20 games, though he is likely to continue in Allentown
Will the Flyers consider making a trade? There’s always a possibility, but important to remember that Flyers management seem to be big game hunting in order to account for a underwhelming free agency class this summer.
In conclusion, the fact that Foerster didn’t suffer a season-ending injury is a small silver lining, it doesn’t change the fact that Briere and company will be hard pressed to replace him.
Things looked great a week ago during their three game winning streak. Now the Flyers are in an unenviable spot figuring out how to navigate December and January
