The Philadelphia Flyers, as an organization, appear to be finally getting healthy and kicking some injuries at the right time.
Forward Tyson Foerster appears to be on the mend, defense prospect Spencer Gill just played in his first games since October, and now another young stud is getting back on the ice, too.
On Saturday night, top forward prospect Alex Bump made his return from a lengthy injury absence that eliminated all but one game over the last two months.
Bump, 22, entered the Lehigh Valley Phantoms' lineup for the first time since Jan. 3 on Saturday night, and before that, the highly-skilled winger hadn't played since Dec. 19.
Bump, Gill, and defenseman Oliver Bonk have all missed several months due to their respective injuries this season, and all are now healthy at the same time for the first time this season.
Flyers AHL Affiliates Sign 6-foot-3 DefensemanThe Flyers have identified an injury replacement for one of their rising prospects.In his return to the lineup, Bump recorded three shots on goal, took one penalty, and had a -2 rating.
Former Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov (33/35, .943) and the Cleveland Monsters took a 5-2 decision, knocking off Bump and the Phantoms and making them losers of four straight.
In each of their last four losses, the Phantoms have allowed no fewer than five goals while being out-scored 22-10.
The Phantoms now sit at a mediocre 21-21-4 in fifth place in the AHL's Atlantic Division, but now that Bump is back and healthy, maybe they have a chance to turn the tides a bit.
As for Bump's NHL prospects, his injury came at an unfortunate time, and it would take something unprecedented (or another injury at the NHL level at the winger position) for the 22-year-old to get ice time in the big leagues.
Flyers Will Get Good Look at Top NHL Draft Prospect in OlympicsThe Flyers should be paying close attention to the only NHL draft prospect featuring in the Winter Olympics this year.For now, teammate and fellow Flyers prospect Denver Barkey has leapfrogged him on the organizational depth chart, nailing down a middle-six role on the Flyers as currently constructed.