The Philadelphia Flyers will likely be starting the season without Wayne Simmonds.
The Flyers forward was injured during Tuesday’s exhibition game against the New York Rangers. Although the severity of his injury has not been disclosed, Simmonds was seen wearing a walking boot on his left foot during practice at the Charles Moore Arena in Orleans, Mass., on Sunday, per Tim Panaccio of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.
Head coach Craig Berube did not rule out Simmonds for Wednesday’s season opener in Boston against the Bruins, but he didn’t say he would be ready to go either.
“Right now, he’s out,” Berube said, per CSN Philly. “And he hasn’t practiced, so we’ll see about (Monday). If he can get on the ice (Monday) and then maybe practice the next day, maybe I’ll consider putting him in (Wednesday). I don’t know. Right now it’s up in the air.”
The right winger is a huge contributor to the Philadelphia offense. Last season, Simmonds led the Flyers with 29 goals and earned a total of 60 points. He played in all 82 regular season games, as well as the seven postseason games the Flyers played.
Berube went on to say that without skating time prior to Wednesday, it would be unfair to put Simmonds on the ice against the Bruins.
If Simmonds is unable to play, Blair Jones will most likely take his place. Jones was acquired by Philly as an unrestricted free agent over the summer.
Photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
