Philadelphia Flyers forward Tyson Foerster hasn't played an NHL game since December 1, when he suffered a shoulder injury during a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Although originally given a timeline of 2-3 months after being placed on injured reserve, a more disappointing update was provided on Wednesday morning.
“After further medical consultation and diagnostic testing, Philadelphia Flyers forward Tyson Foerster underwent successful surgery on his arm on Monday, Dec. 15,” the team announced. “Foerster is expected to make a full recovery and will be out five months.”
It's certainly an unfortunate update, which will cost the 23-year-old at least the rest of the 2025-26 regular-season — and likely the Stanley Cup Playoffs if Philly advances.
Foerster had been one of the more productive players on the team before the injury, managing 10 goals and 13 points in 21 games. Despite already missing over two weeks, his 10 goals remains second on the Flyers, behind only Trevor Zegras, who has potted 14 tallies in 32 games.
This isn't the first injury Foerster has dealt with; he missed four games due to a lower-body injury sustained after blocking a shot against the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 1. He also missed the beginning of Philadelphia training camp due to an elbow injury he suffered while playing for Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.
Originally selected No. 23 overall by the Flyers in the 2020 NHL Draft, Foerster has managed 58 goals and 96 points over 187 regular-season games. He is in the first season of a two-year, $7.5 million contract with an AAV of $3.75 million.
Flyers looking good in Metropolitan Division
Even without Foerster, the Flyers have been playing well in 2025-26. Following a 4-1 road victory over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Philly is 17-9-6 and third place in the Metropolitan Division.
They're just four points back of the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in both the division and Eastern Conference. Rick Tocchet is looking like the right coach to steer the club out of the rebuild, while Zegras has led the charge offensively.
After a couple of tough years in Anaheim, Zegras has been terrific in the City of Brotherly Love, producing at over a point-per-game pace, to the tune of 33 points in 32 games.
The Flyers also got Rasmus Ristolainen in the lineup for the first time this year, which should help to stabilize a skilled and mobile defensive unit.
The play between the pipes has also improved tremendously, with Samuel Ersson and Dan Vladar combining to provide above-average goaltending. The Flyers are only allowing 2.72 goals per game, which is eighth league-wide.
If they keep up this pace, Philadelphia will be returning to the postseason in April for the first time since 2019-20. Losing Foerster is a brutal blow, but there is enough skill up and down the roster to keep this team competitive all year long.
The Flyers remain on the road for two more contests, visiting Buffalo to play the Sabres on Thursday and New York to face the Rangers on Saturday before returning to Pennsylvania early next week.
