Simon Gagne hopes to skate Friday, best-case return is reportedly Game 5

by Travis Hughes on May 4, 2010 6:34 PM EDT in 2010 NHL Playoffs

Simon Gagne has seen a few set backs lately. He was hoping to skate last Friday with hopes of playing in Wednesday's Game 3, but that never came to fruition. Now, he's hoping to skate this upcoming Friday, a full two weeks after his surgery and 16 days after suffering the injury.

Here's what CSN Philly's Tim Panaccio (who is back at work following a bit of a health scare, good to see he's okay) had to say on the subject.

If things go as planned, Simon Gagne could start skating this weekend.

The Flyers left wing, who is now wearing a boot on his right foot (broken toe), seemed optimistic Tuesday.

"It’s getting better," Gagne said. "I’m off the crutches, walking on the foot a little bit. It’s getting better every day. I didn’t start skating yet. But it’s getting close. I am going to meet with the doctor on Friday. From there, hopefully, I get the ok to start skating."

Gagne is expected to undergo another MRI on Friday.

According to Sam Carchidi of the Inquirer, at the best-case, Gagne could return for Game 5, which will (God willing) be played next Monday in Boston. Initially, Gagne was listed as out for three weeks with his broken toe, and a return on Monday would be just one day shy of the three week mark.

Worth noting a few things here, though:

Carchidi was the one who initially reported Gagne's best-case at Game 3, which obviously isn't happening. Take it for what it's worth.
Gagne's a bit of a slow healer historically, so his MRI on Friday might not even show good results. There's no guarantee that he'll be skating come Friday, which would push the entire process back.

Assuming the Flyers win all of their games on home ice, that would mean they still have to win one game in Boston. Having Simon Gagne in the lineup would go a long way towards fixing match up issues that Peter Laviolette and the Flyers have had while playing at TD Garden. A return this series is vital for Gagne and the team.

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Comments

The thought of getting Gags back into this line up makes me as happy as the thought of a Boosh shutout. That being said, I’m weary to bring him back too soon if he’s going to be ineffective. But still, I guess an ineffective Gagne might still be less of a liability than a healthy Hartnell.

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by KreiderDesigns on May 4, 2010 6:46 PM EDT reply actions

At worst, he hurts a broken toe again. It’s not an injury that’s going to linger into next season or anything. At worst, he also plays what, 12 minutes a night? That’s not a lot but it’s 12 minutes of depth you’re adding to the lineup.

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by Travis Hughes on May 4, 2010 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes but you sat at worst he hurts his toe. That means we don’t even have a body to throw out there for some of those minutes. You have to double shift someone on top of double shifting lines already. If he gets hurt again in the first we’re down to 17 skaters and 7 wingers.

Mancrushin' on Geoff since April 20
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by KreiderDesigns on May 4, 2010 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s true, but Laviolette is barely playing his replacements anyway so I’d say it’s worth the risk.

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by Travis Hughes on May 4, 2010 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Some Gagne is better than no Gagne.

I was looking at that photo and thinking about all the times that Gagne got stoned on really good chances, and his shooting percentage is down 4% at 9.3% rather than his career average of 14.1%. That equals about 7 goals more than he scored this season, and I bet almost everyone can think of about 7 goals that Gagne was robbed of this year.

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by ToddtheFox on May 4, 2010 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Well you got two easy ones against Pit.

Mancrushin' on Geoff since April 20
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by KreiderDesigns on May 4, 2010 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Its not too much of a stretch though eh. Just unlucky

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by ToddtheFox on May 4, 2010 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m on board with Todd’s statement….

Even if the best we can hope for is 10 minutes of the offensively snakebitten version of Gagne, that’s 10 less minutes that have to be eaten by other quality players taking double shifts. Less double shifts = more quality regular shifts for them, and more energy to fight at the end of the game. I don’t think I can watch a whole series where the last 10 minutes of every game there’s 5 guys on the ice who don’t even have fumes left in the tank. Now production would be a great help and I know he can bring that to the table if he wants to, but if all we can get is someone responsible to suck up quality ice time, that would still be a huge benefit right now.

by DragonGirl0583 on May 4, 2010 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I just don’t think that should be a problem in Philly. Lavy can get the matchups he wants, so he doesn’t have to worry about sending JVR-Ross-Asham out and having Savard/Lucic countered. In Philly, Nodl, Asham, and Ross should be able to get at least 10 minutes safely, since the Flyers have last change.

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by Geoff Detweiler on May 4, 2010 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions

I sure hope it isn’t a problem in Philly… But I still think having him back would be a benefit more than a burden, we’d just have to be realistic in what we expect from him.

by DragonGirl0583 on May 4, 2010 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Certainly. I just think they need him for Game 5* more than they do for Game 3.

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by Geoff Detweiler on May 4, 2010 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions

If the Flyers lose Game 3 there is no way I’d be happy about him sitting out Game 4 if he was able to play reduced minutes.

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by ToddtheFox on May 4, 2010 10:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Really? I mean, I guess any re-injury of a broken toe isn’t a big deal, but if the Flyers are down 3-0, will you be confident if Gagne comes back? I’d probably already resign to a loss.

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by Geoff Detweiler on May 4, 2010 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d be more confident that we could at least win one game and gain some respectability. I guess thats the counter, whether you just assume the series is over and shut him down, or at least have a go at winning a game.

I also think about this, and I’ve said similar before, the team was terrible about 9 games ago. Will it really be that bad if they get dealt to in the playoffs and forces Holmgren’s hand in the offseason.

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by ToddtheFox on May 4, 2010 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions

I understand the first argument, but I don’t really wanna think about it. The Red Wings are now down 3-0 and that scares me.

As far as the second part goes, I’ve been skeptical that Homer was going to be able to make a lot of changes for awhile, and now that he has the “injury” excuse, I don’t see it happening. I still hope so, but it would requiring trading someone, and there aren’t many attractive options that are easy. Hartnell and Briere’s NTC; Carter’s importance to the team; JVR and Giroux’s inexpensive skill; etc.

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by Geoff Detweiler on May 4, 2010 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m actually kinda scared of this offseason, honestly…. I want him to make changes and all, I’m just going to be a bundle of nerves waiting to see exactly which moves he makes.

by DragonGirl0583 on May 4, 2010 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions

The way I see it, he has the “injury” excuse for the team not winning it all this year, but he absolutely HAS to address other areas of the team, and if he’s been watching the playoffs, he will.

Goaltending is a must. They need to go out and get a quality young goalie (Bernier, Schneider) with the idea of having him make the team next year. Boucher has one more year on his contract, and he needs to be the backup. I’d sign Leighton to a two-way deal, and re-sign Backlund, with the idea that Leighton and Backlund are on the Phantoms next year.

Defense is another must. The Flyers have Pronger, Timonen, Carle, and possibly Coburn as their top four next year. Oskars the Grouch is a capable seventh man, but the Flyers need a third pairing desperately. If Coburn walks he needs to be replaced by a similar player (Hamhuis). Krajicek and Parent are undersized and too easily outworked in their own end.

Forward depth is another must. The inexpensive talent of Giroux and JVR is only going to become more expensive as both players improve. In the meantime, the Flyers need bona-fide scoring depth. Carcillo needs to be retained, Briere needs to be shifted to the wing full-time, and Hartnell needs to be playing elsewhere. Say what you will about NTCs, but if Scott Gomez can be traded, ANYONE can be traded.

Paul Holmgren has done his best work in the off-season since he took over as GM. If that trend continues, then next year could be special.

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by mikefive on May 4, 2010 11:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree with almost all of that, except for the Phantoms goaltending situation. The team can’t resign both Leighton and Backlund, they have to choose one. And it should be Backlund. With Riopel, De Serres, and Bobrovsky (supposedly) needing professional contracts, there’s 5 guys fighting for 2 AHL jobs. Doesn’t work.

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by Geoff Detweiler on May 5, 2010 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions

My reason for suggesting Leighton is that they have someone in case all of the goalies get hurt again.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on May 5, 2010 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions

On the incredibly rare occasion that Starter to be Named and Boucher get hurt, I’d be okay with Backlund in that situation. No need to have three former starters signed to an NHL contract when you have two first-year pros, a European netminder making his NA debut, and Backlund.

If you prefer Leighton over Backlund, that’s one thing. I just think both is a poor allocation of resources.

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by Geoff Detweiler on May 5, 2010 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions

I meant to say in my original reply that I agreed with you.

And yeah, Backlund would probably be ready to step in if needed.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on May 5, 2010 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah. And that creates the problem of whether he’d resign here to be the starter in Adirondack again.

Honestly, I have no idea what the goaltending depth will look like next year. Boucher could either be the Starter, the backup, the Phantoms starter, waived, or traded. Basically, even the guy we know will be here isn’t guaranteed to be here.

Man-crushin' on Boucher since 1999
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 5, 2010 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions

I was commenting under the assumption that Games 3 and 4 are already off the table, if he’s not having the next MRI until Friday anyway.

My faith in Gagne is not that blind that I’d put him on the ice before he even attends one practice.

by DragonGirl0583 on May 4, 2010 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions

haha, good point. My bad.

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Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on May 4, 2010 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions

I guess his toe wasn’t as badly hurt as our man Ryan Madson’s.

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by doubleh on May 4, 2010 7:55 PM EDT reply actions

Who knew a stationary chair could be more damaging than a puck moving at high speeds?

by phish'n on May 4, 2010 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Carchidi was the one who initially reported Gagne’s best-case at Game 3, which obviously isn’t happening. Take it for what it’s worth.

That report was absolutely correct.

Carchidi said Gagne would see a doctor last Friday, and if he was cleared to skate he’d be targeting Game 3 for his return.

Gagne did see a doctor on Friday, and was not cleared to skate.

by MarioD on May 4, 2010 8:55 PM EDT reply actions

Yes, I didn’t mean for that to come off so harsh toward Carchidi. By “take it for what it’s worth,” I meant “he might not be cleared to skate this Friday,” not “it’s Carchidi so don’t believe it.”

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by Travis Hughes on May 5, 2010 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m not saying Carchidi was incorrect on the first report, but I think it may have been slightly misleading. He was on crutches right up until the first MRI last Friday, right? And after that MRI, he wasn’t cleared to skate, but he showed enough healing to move to the boot, correct? If I am correct on both of the previous points, it’s hard for me to believe that he’d be cleared to skate immediately from the crutches without having gone to the boot first, if they had to check the MRI before the boot was even an option. I guess it’s possible, but I think it may have been a bit of a stretch.

by DragonGirl0583 on May 5, 2010 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions