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Nolan Patrick is missing Flyers games, after all

Overall, it might be still true that Nolan Patrick and the Philadelphia Flyers dodged a bullet. Considering how shaken up he was thanks to a hit by Chris Wagner of the Anaheim Ducks, early - and ultimately hasty - optimism still strikes as a plus in the bigger picture.

Patrick thought he might play on Thursday, but that didn’t work out, and it appears as though the second pick of the 2017 NHL Draft will miss Saturday’s contest (at the Toronto Maple Leafs), too.

As NBC Sports Philadelphia notes, Patrick indicates that some of the delay may come down to concussion protocols.

“It’s my first time that I’ve ever had any kind of injury like this before,” Patrick said Friday. “It’s a lot of protocol things you have to go through. I think the league is pretty big on that kind of stuff. There’s a few things I’ve got to do first. I’m feeling good though.”

Considering how different these issues are from his hernia/lower-body ailments from 2016-17, it’s probably not fair to worry about Patrick’s overall sturdiness.

You can’t blame Patrick if he’s feeling a little frustrated with his recent luck, though. Overall, it would be foolish to rush things, even if it inspires a little antsiness in Patrick.

Tonight serves as an intriguing test for the Flyers, who go into Toronto with a 5-5-0 mark so far in 2017-18. They’ve lost two in a row, allowing 11 goals during that span. Philly’s also lost three of four, so you can probably label the Flyers as a “work in progress,” much like Patrick himself.
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.