March 14, 2015
Jay LaPrete/AP
Blue Jackets' Curtis McElhinney, left, watches as Philadelphia Flyers' R.J. Umbrella skates past the crease.
Winger R.J. Umberger will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair a labrum tear in his right hip, two cam lesions and an abdominal tear. He will be out at least 10 weeks, meaning his season is over.
Umberger has been playing through the pain for months, according to the GM, and that may be part of the reason he's been a disappointment this season, recording just 15 points in 67 games.
"R.J. is not happy with his year. We’re not happy with his year. But that’s life," Hextall said prior to the Flyers' 7-2 win over the Red Wings. "He was in some pain, he was in some discomfort and he had physical deficiencies that were hurting his game. It’s kind of hard to be mad at a guy when you know what he was going through.
"Quite frankly, when I talked to him he said it was hard when he went home, he’s got to lay on the floor all the time… he’s been in some pain. R.J. is a lot tougher guy then people give him credit for."
Down to just 12 forwards, the Flyers announced late Saturday night that they recalled center Nick Cousins from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He will be available to play Sunday night in Ottawa -- it would be the 21-year-old's NHL debut -- and will wear No. 52.
Drafted in third round (68th overall) of the 2011 draft, Cousins is in his second full season with the Phantoms and currently leads the team in scoring with 55 points (21 goals and 34 assists). In 142 career games in the AHL, he has 85 points (32 G, 53 A). Since Jan. 1 (29 games), he has recorded 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points and has tallied six points (4 G, 2 A) in the Phantoms last three games alone.
The Flyers take on the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night at 7 p.m.
