Although he'd arguably be an upgrade on defense right now, the Philadelphia Flyers are choosing to take things slow and play the long game with injured prospect Oliver Bonk, who has been out of action since training camp.

Bonk, 20, has been out of commission for the Flyers dating back to early September. The 2023 first-round pick missed the rookie series games against the New York Rangers, returned to practice on Sept. 15, and was then deemed day-to-day by the Flyers on Sept. 18.

Day-to-day quickly became weeks, as the Flyers later announced on Oct. 1 that Bonk would miss approximately two weeks.

A recent report indicated the 20-year-old would miss 5-6 more weeks, but on Monday, Flyers GM Danny Briere wasn't willing to specify a timeline at all for his top defense prospect.

"We didn't know how serious it was at first. We kept him out of rookie camp, it lingered. Kept him out of main camp thinking it would get better, and it's just been a slow process. It's going well now, we're just hoping there's no setbacks," Briere was quoted as saying by PHLY's Charlie O'Connor.

Top Flyers Defense Prospect Suffers Another Significant Injury Luck just hasn't been on the side of the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a>' defense prospects these last few months, with another going down for several weeks with a significant injury.

"We're trying to give him the time and proper space between skates for him to feel good enough to come back and play. It's a little tougher on a timeline with him. We're kind of waiting on the progression and making sure there's no setback on him."   

With Bonk out for the extended period and unable to compete for an NHL roster spot, the Flyers have instead been saddled with the likes of Egor Zamula, Adam Ginning, and Noah Juulsen.

The early results have been good with those three, surprisingly, but it also leaves room for the mind to wonder what the team could achieve with an impressionable and talented Bonk when he's healthy.

We'll all have to wonder a little longer, though, since Briere himself is still waiting to see the necessary progress from Bonk to make any kind of determinations, plus the recent report that indicated a recovery time north of one month.

Flyers Made the Right Move, But Jett Luchanko's Departure Means More Uncertainty The Flyers sent Luchanko back to Guelph again, but he barely played during this NHL stint. Is this a step forward or back? What happens in the future?

When he returns, Bonk will be making his debut as a professional player for the Flyers organization, likely with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.