Couturier, Atkinson expected ready for camp
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ryan Ellis is facing a tough decision about his NHL playing career due to a torn psoas muscle, according to the team’s president of hockey operations, Keith Jones. Jones expressed sympathy for Ellis, acknowledging the uncertainty and difficulty he may be going through, having dealt with a similar situation at the end of his own career.
Ellis has been sidelined since November 2021 and has only played four games for the Flyers since being acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators in July 2021. The 32-year-old still has four seasons left on his contract, which carries a $6.25-million cap hit.
In his prime years, Ellis was an exceptional two-way defenseman, averaging 49 points per 82 games and playing an average of 23:47 per contest between 2016 and 2021. He amassed 275 points in 566 career regular-season games and contributed seven goals and 31 assists in 74 playoff games.
On a positive note, the Flyers received good news regarding two forwards. Jones announced that both Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson are expected to be ready for training camp. Couturier had undergone two back surgeries in less than a year, missing all of the previous season and playing only 29 games in 2021-22. Atkinson, on the other hand, missed the entire 2022-23 season due to a neck injury that required surgery in December. However, during the 2021-22 season, he managed to record 23 goals and 27 assists in 73 games.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ryan Ellis is facing a tough decision about his NHL playing career due to a torn psoas muscle, according to the team’s president of hockey operations, Keith Jones. Jones expressed sympathy for Ellis, acknowledging the uncertainty and difficulty he may be going through, having dealt with a similar situation at the end…