Sidelined since the end of October and having missed eight games already due to a concussion the Philadelphia Flyers are hoping to get rookie center Nolan Patrick back in the lineup this week.
Patrick was finally able to return to practice on Monday and is getting closer to a return.
He will not be able to play in Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, but the Flyers are hopeful he will be able to play on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets, his hometown team.
He will accompany the team on the upcoming road trip.
“It’s early in the process,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said on Monday, via NBC Philadelphia. “He’s on the front end of conditioning, timing and there’s a lot of things that have to come back to game level. That’s no different for any player, but certainly for a young player, he’s at the front end of that and he’ll continue to work hard at that.”
Patrick, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft, has appeared in nine games this season scoring one goal to go with two assists.