Flyers winger Tyson Foerster wasn’t expected to return to the lineup this season but after a somewhat new development at morning skate Saturday, that might be wrong.
All the way back on December 1, Foerster wound up and attempted a big one-timer slap shot against the Penguins and went down in excruciating pain. It was a bad scene that then got worse, as he was declared out for two to three months almost immediately, and then that timeline got extended to the entire season after undergoing surgery to repair the upper-body injury.
While Foerster has been slowly making his way back to the ice and traveling with the team, there was a big development on Saturday, as he was seen wearing a regular black jersey during morning skate in Detroit before the Flyers face the Red Wings in a very crucial game if they want to dream about the playoffs.
Morning from #Flyers morning skate. Missed lines unfortunately due to some miscommunication but did spot Tyson Foerster in a regular black jersey. He is also wearing orange to participate as a penalty killer in special teams work. pic.twitter.com/OyDBgDyhVw
— Jackie Spiegel (@jackiespiegel93) March 28, 2026
As mentioned, Foerster was sporting the black jersey meaning he was able to take contact from his teammates in the practice. Prior to today Foerster was seen wearing the yellow “non-contact” jersey for the last week or so, essentially leaving him to skate but with not much interaction in terms of regular practice drills. Foerster was also wearing an orange jersey on Saturday, which is usually given to those players on the penalty kill.
However according to The Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel, it was later cleared up that the regular jersey does not necessarily mean that he will be coming back anytime soon. In short, Foerster is getting closer but not quite there yet.
Was told afterward to not read too much into the non-contact jersey for #Flyers forward Tyson Foerster. Not too much contact at the morning skate so was not necessary for the no-touchy jersey. https://t.co/iGcnXyDMQb
— Jackie Spiegel (@jackiespiegel93) March 28, 2026
Especially considering that they are on the road and, as noted, just at a morning skate which doesn’t have much contact to begin with, an injured player wearing a regular jersey does not mean that there has been a sudden healing miracle.
The practice doesn’t indicate that Foerster will be playing tonight after missing the last 46 games. But it does suggest that the winger is probably going to be given a chance to return to action soon, if ready. Of course the Flyers would be incredibly foolish to play Foerster if he wasn’t 100 per cent ready to go. Or if there was even the hint he’d be prone to reinjuring the arm in what more people believe will be a string of games soon that won’t mean much in the standings.
Foerster played 21 games prior to the injury, scoring 10 goals with three helpers for 13 points. He currently sits seventh on the club in terms of goals with Travis Konency, Owen Tippett, Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, Noah Cates, and Christian Dvorak ahead of him (Bobby Brink had 13 but is obviously no longer with the club). Although it’s impossible to predict how the season would’ve turned out for Foerster, it’s probably safe to say he would be somewhere in the 30-goal range at this point in 2025-26, or more.
On March 17, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet didn’t exactly nix the idea of Foerster returning, but seemed to err on the side of caution regarding when Foerster might be back, if at all.
“I think it’s too early to say but you saw the coaches smiling,” Tocchet said while praising Foerster’s shooting ability when he was ready to return to the ice. “Whether he comes back this year or not, I’m not quite sure, but he is definitely progressing in the right direction.”
Meanwhile, after the trade deadline, general manager Danny Briere said Foerster was eager to return to the lineup, and might be back for a handful of games before the season concluded.
What this means for the Flyers
Clearly, having one of the team’s best snipers returning to the lineup would be a boost. However, Foerster would clearly need some time to get the rust off from almost a full four months from game action. This shouldn’t be looked upon as the team desperately searching to find a hero in their slimming hopes for a playoff spot. It should be considered a good first step for Foerster to play a handful of games, realize the arm and shoulder can hold up to the rigors needed to stay healthy, and be a slight confidence lift for the player knowing he’s capable of getting back into games ahead of schedule. And more importantly, without doing any more damage to the recently surgically repaired arm.
