It’s been a long journey, but it seems the Flyers forward Nikita Grebenkin has finally turned a corner.
We recall, Grebenkin took an upper-body injury all the way back in their game against the Sharks on March 21, and while the initial timeline for his return was a manageable 7-10 days, that endpoint came and went without further update, and before we knew it, they had reached the playoffs, then the regular season, without so much as a sign of him taking part in a rehab skate.
The official announcement from the team was made at the end of the season, clarifying that whatever his injury was (still undisclosed specifically) it was lingering much longer than they had initially hoped it would, and was such that there was a chance that it would hold him out as long as into the beginning of the next season.
It was a tough blow for a talented young player who is still working to carve out a role for himself in this Flyers lineup, but some good news, it seems, has finally been delivered on him.
On Tuesday morning, Grebenkin was out on the ice early at the Flyers’ practice facility, getting in a bit of work alone while the prospects were on the other sheet working on their power skating, but the particular pleasant surprise came when the prospects moved over to work on their skills drills, and Grebenkin stuck around. It wasn’t the highest octane of sessions, but they were competitive, and Grebenkin got some good reps in shooting on an actual goalie, skating in small areas, and taking a bit of contact in the puck-handling off the walls drill.
Now, there remains no official update on exactly how quickly he’s advancing through his recovery timeline, and whether this appearance signals that he’ll be good to go in time to participate in training camp, but if nothing else, it feels like a positive step. Grebenkin will have to wait a while longer to work towards getting himself all the way up to game speed, but it was undeniably a positive to see him getting out there in a competitive setting and holding up well under the pace and pressure of those drills. It’s been a long process for him, and while it’s not over yet, signs of advancement bode well for the next steps over these next couple of months.
After all, if this puts him in the mix for the training camp battles, all the better for him — spots are coveted and won and lost quickly, and there won’t be much wiggle room for the forwards within that crowded group all competing to earn a spot on the opening night lineup.
