The Philadelphia Flyers announced that forward Cam Atkinson will undergo next surgery this week and is now expected to miss the remainder of the 2022-23 NHL season.
A difficult season in Philadelphia just got tougher.
The Philadelphia Flyers confirmed the news that no one wanted to hear on Monday afternoon, announcing that forward Cam Atkinson will undergo neck surgery on Wednesday and is now expected to miss the remainder of the 2022-23 season. Crossingbroad.com's Anthony SanFilippo was the first to report the news.
This is yet another setback for Atkinson in his path back to the active roster, as the 33-year-old has missed the entire season up to this point and will now be sidelined until next year at the earliest.
Atkinson was his usual, consistent self in his first season with the Flyers in 2021-22, finishing the year with 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points in 73 games while logging over 18 minutes in nightly ice time. The former Columbus Blue Jacket was in line to be reunited with his old coach John Tortorella this season after the latter was hired to take over behind the Flyers bench. Alas, the two will need to wait at least another 10 months for their reunion.
The Flyers could certainly use a player like Atkinson at this point, as the team is currently second-last in the Metropolitan Division with a dismal 10-15-7 record.