NHL Rumors: Andreas Lilja Out For Four Months After Hip Surgery
Just when you thought the Philadelphia Flyers‘ blue line situation couldn’t get any worse, it did.
Already in need of a defenseman, thanks to the Achilles injury to Andrej Meszaros (which will likely end his season), the Flyers are also set to lose Andreas Lilja for four months, after he underwent hip surgery.
That report is according to several European outlets and provides the latest blow for a Philadelphia blue line that was already starved for talent.
Lilja wasn’t expected to play above the third pairing this year, but the injury to Meszaros made him even more important to the cause. This injury, assuming it actually will keep him out for that long, moves Bruno Gervais up on the depth chart, with room for a youngster as his defensive partner on that third line.
In limited, action, Lilja had a decent season for the Flyers last season. He added some hits and plenty of blocked shots on defense, while posting six assists for the year.
As if the Flyers weren’t already going to be hard-pressed enough to find some defensive talent out there, via trade or free agency, this may up their desperation even more, unless they plan to go very young on defense.
This could accelerate trade talks with a team like the Chicago Blackhawks, who are looking to unload Niklas Hjalmarsson. It could also force the Flyers to break out the offer sheet once more for a guy like P.K. Subban. Either way, things are beginning to look very desperate down on Broad Street.
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