Just in case you thought things were going too well for the Philadelphia Flyers, they will be losing center Noah Cates for the next little bit.
Announced by head coach John Tortorella on Tuesday, the 24-year-old forward is out for the upcoming game against the Carolina Hurricanes, and for the foreseeable future, as well.
And then, of course, the Flyers officially chimed in and provided us with the timeline of six to eight weeks until his full recovery of a lower-body injury. So, with our quick maths (looking at a calendar), Cates is looking at returning some time in January, with the latest being the beginning of February.
There was no distinct moment where Cates could have suffered his injury in any recent game. Against the New York Islanders, he blocked a shot and needed some time to recover mid-game. And then earlier, against the Rangers, he took a puck to the mouth and required stitches, to then return to the game. Maybe this is just a summation of a bunch of bumps and bruises that Cate has been dealing with in the last week or so, or it is something larger at play.
Some time away from the game could be good for Cates after his disappointing start to the season. Through 21 games this year, he has one single goal and four total points. After competing for the Selke Trophy last year and coming on to the scene as potentially one of the top, young two-way centers in the NHL, his second full season has been a brutal underperformance in comparison.
With Cates out of the lineup, Bobby Brink and Morgan Frost should be getting full-time minutes and regular opportunity. Both young forwards who have been healthy scratched throughout this season need to take this chance and run with it at full speed to make up for some of the absence on the defensive side of the puck. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out and what the team looks like without Cates in it.
