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Nolan Patrick won’t be ready for start of Flyers’ season

New York Islanders v Philadelphia Flyers

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 23: Nolan Patrick #19 of the Philadelphia Flyers looks on against the New York Islanders on March 23, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

So far in Nolan Patrick’s young career, things haven’t exactly gone as planned. The odds of Patrick getting off to a strong start in 2019-20 looks slimmer after an unsettling announcement on Thursday.

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that Patrick won’t be ready for the start of the season, and is considered week-to-week with migraine syndrome. Patrick just turned 21 on Sept. 19.

Here’s the official release from the Flyers:

Via Dr. Stephen D. Silberstein at Merck Manual, migraines can become “worse with exertion,” and cause sensitivity to light, among other troubling elements that may become tougher as a hockey player.

Former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis ranks of the most memorable cases of a professional athlete suffering from migraines, as he missed the second quarter of Super Bowl XXXII (1998) with severe issues.

Under certain alignments, the Flyers were equipped to boast some appealing center depth, as Sean Couturier could occasionally allow Claude Giroux to flourish on the wing, while expensive new forward Kevin Hayes would possibly serve as 2C. In that scenario, the hope was that Patrick would flourish as a third-line center against lesser competition.

This obviously throws a wrench in that plan, but here’s hoping that Patrick can find a way to manage those migraine issues and get back on track as the second overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft.

Patrick provided limited offense so far in his career (30 points as a rookie in 2017-18, 31 last season), and didn’t really distinguish himself with middling possession stats, but there’s still plenty of room to grow. This is a discouraging update in that regard, though.

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Your 2019-20 NHL on NBC TV schedule

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.