The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Noah Cates has suffered a lower-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup for six to eight weeks.
It’s not immediately clear the nature of Cates’ injury nor where or how he suffered it. In any case, this is a significant loss for a Flyers team that has impressed early this season. John Tortorella’s club currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-9-1 record.
A center by trade, Cates most recently lined up as a left winger on Tortella’s third line, alongside center Ryan Poehling and right winger Joel Farabee. It’s been a more difficult season for Cates, who was excellent as a rookie last year.
A 2017 fifth-round pick by the Flyers, Cates looked to be a home run for the team’s scouting staff last season. The 24-year-old didn’t put up massive scoring numbers at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, save for in his sophomore season. But that didn’t stop him from scoring 13 goals and 38 points as a rookie, all while averaging 17:46 time on ice per game including nearly two minutes on each special teams unit.
That performance earned Cates votes for the Selke, Calder, and Lady Byng trophies, as well as the NHL’s All-Rookie team. He hasn’t been able to carry over that success into this campaign, though, and has seen his ice time decline.
This injury serves as a major setback in a campaign that, in its early stages, had the makings of a sophomore slump for Cates. Making $2.625MM through next season, the hope will be that Cates can return from this injury and re-discover some of the form that made him such a strong rookie in 2023-24.
Not sure why you described this as significant loss. Cates has been awful and this will provide more opportunities for better players like Brink and Frost. This works out well for Flyers and Cates can then go to AHL when he returns to try to learn how to play.
You’re absolutely right that he’s struggled this season! To give some more detail: I called it a significant loss for one main reason. With this injury, the Flyers no longer have a chance at receiving 2022-23 Noah Cates for at least six more weeks.
If Cates were to play as he did last season, the Flyers would be receiving a nearly 40-point center who got Selke Trophy consideration. That would significantly aid their chances at sticking in the playoff race as the season goes on.
Now, with this injury, the Flyers don’t even have the chance of receiving that version of Cates for at least six weeks. To me, that’s a major loss, even taking into consideration his form so far in 2023-24.
Sad to see someone hurt but now Frost should not be out of this line up for the rest of the year hopefully no more injuries….Or trade Frost and give the guy a chance to succeed..