Jaromir Jagr suffered a lower-body injury when he took a hit between two players early in Thursday night’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes. He only appeared on the ice for three shifts before suffering the injury and heading to the locker room. The word out of Philadelphia is that he’s out for the rest of the game—there should be more details tomorrow afternoon.
The Flyers have been leaning heavily on the Jagr/Claude Giroux duo through the first two months of the season. The two have combined for 39 points and have given the Flyers one of the most dominant lines in hockey this year. It doesn’t matter if James van Riemsdyk or Scott Hartnell is on the wing—their line has been unstoppable this year.
Most people believed that Jagr still had the talent to play in the NHL, but the major question mark around the superstar this offseason was whether he could hang for full 82-game season. The NHL schedule can be a grind and people wondered if they’d be able to survive after three seasons away from North America. Tonight’s injury could have happened to anyone—it’s the recovery process that will prove whether he can withstand the season.
Either way, the Flyers won’t want him to miss much time. He’s already formed great chemistry with Claude Giroux and helped catapult the young center to the league’s elite. The sooner they can get him back, the better.