Flyers’ Foerster Has Surgery, Out for Season

On Wednesday morning, the Flyers had to feel good about the way the standings looked. After a 4-1 win over Montreal on Tuesday, the Flyers were in third place in the Metropolitan Division and have an opportunity to build on it in the final days of December.

The good vibes were quickly halted with the injury update provided on Tyson Foerster. Foerster suffered an injury on Dec. 1 and was expected to miss two to three months. The latest Flyers update changed everything.

Foerster had surgery on his arm on Monday, Dec. 15, and will now be out for five months, virtually ending his season.

The Flyers have managed to adjust to Foerster's absence so far, but it is a significant hole to fill. At the time of his injury, Foerster was leading the team in goals with 10 and had 13 points in 21 games.

Nikita Grebenkin got the first chance to fill the void of Foerster's injury, but struggled over six games. Carl Grundstrom was called up as a fourth-line replacement with Grebenkin moving up, but has impressed in his six games of action, with three goals and four points. He played on a line with Owen Tippett and Sean Couturier on Tuesday night, a move into the Top 9.

So Grundstrom has been a breath of fresh air in the wake of bad news. The Flyers also have Alex Bump in the minors, who may be the closest of any forward they have available for a call-up. With a long-term spot open in the Top 9, Bump could get the call and get valuable minutes instead of just playing a fourth-line fill-in role.

Bump, 22, has six goals and 19 points in 25 AHL games this season.

Either way, the Flyers have to find replacements for Foerster for the rest of the regular season. For a team that holds a playoff spot just a week away from the holiday break, it's significant to think about what happens if the Flyers were to, in fact, make the playoffs.

Foerster could be close enough to a return that the playoffs are on the table in mid-April, but early May is a more accurate timeline. So there's a legitimate chance that, playoffs or not, Foerster is done for the year regardless.

That provides plenty of opportunity for others in the organization to make their mark and show that the Flyers have depth. But it will be a challenging void to fill.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.