Philippe Myers found Alain Vigneault before Wednesday's practice and gave his head coach an update.
Six days after being diagnosed with a fractured rib and listed as week to week, Myers joined his team in practice. He rotated with Mark Friedman in taking reps alongside Travis Sanheim. The 6-foot-5 defenseman stayed on the bench during the Flyers' work on special teams and he appeared somewhat limited as he tested the injury throughout practice.
"He came to see me today and he's feeling better and he wants to play," Vigneault said. "After watching him today at practice, don't think he's quite there yet but I do believe that he's real close. Good to see a player wanting to get back with his teammates and help them win."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Myers, who turned 24 years old Monday, appears unlikely to play Thursday when the Flyers visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). The Flyers have back-to-back games against the Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP) and Sunday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). It's uncertain if Myers will be ready and cleared by then, but his joining practice Wednesday was a positive development for an important piece to the Flyers' picture on the back end.
Myers is a fluid-skating, puck-moving defenseman with big strides. He possesses the strengths to accentuate Vigneault's hard-on-the-attack system and he works hard in the defensive zone. Myers is taking on more responsibility this season after a solid rookie year in which he scored three playoff goals and was a plus-17 during the regular season.
When Myers comes off injured reserve and returns to the lineup, Friedman is the likely odd man out. Vigneault wants to see more from the 25-year-old Friedman, whose audition is on the clock as the Flyers get healthier.
NHL
"Mark has been OK but my expectations are higher of his play," Vigneault said. "I need to see a little bit more urgency from him in his game. He's a young man that, even though he's not overly big, should be able to skate, should be able to help us on breakouts. I've seen some of that but I haven't seen enough consistency in that. My recollection of him is he played with a little bit more bite than he's showing right now. I believe he has that in him and it's up to me and him to get the best that we can out of him so he can help our team."
Subscribe to and rate Flyers Talk
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | YouTube