Tyson Foerster is expected to be out five months for the Philadelphia Flyers after having surgery on his arm Monday.
The 23-year-old forward left in the second period of a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 1 after taking a shot on goal. He was placed on injured reserve two days later and was expected to miss 2-3 months.
Foerster is second for the Flyers with 10 goals in 21 games. He previously missed four games because of a lower-body injury sustained blocking a shot against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 1. Foerster also missed the start of training camp because of an elbow injury sustained playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.
"It's the old committee, next man up," Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said Wednesday. "Can everybody play five to 10 percent better? It's all those cliches we say but it's true. Certain guys, you hope they get hot for you. That helps.
"It's tough. Tyson is a hockey player. He's a shooter, he's intelligent. He's one of the first PK guys out there, he's obviously really good on the power play. Last minute of a game he's usually out there. So it's a big chunk you're taking out of the lineup. ... Hopefully we get some guys that can step up when he's out."
Selected by Philadelphia in the first round (No. 23) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Foerster has 96 points (58 goals, 38 assists) in 187 games.
The Flyers (17-9-6) visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+).
NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman contributed to this report.
