Philadelphia Flyers’ Joel Farabee out 3-4 months after disc replacement surgery
The Philadelphia Flyers announced Friday that winger Joel Farabee will be out for the next 3-4 months after undergoing successful disc replacement surgery.
INJURY UPDATE: Flyers forward Joel Farabee underwent successful disc replacement surgery in his cervical region this morning (Fri., June 24). The surgery was performed by Dr. Jon Yoon, a neurosurgeon at Penn Medicine.
He is expected to make a full recovery in 3-4 months. pic.twitter.com/qyio463iKG
Farabee becomes just the third player to receive this kind of surgery in the NHL. Jack Eichel was the first and most notable case. The Buffalo Sabres refused to let him have the surgery, resulting in Eichel requesting a trade, and the Sabres dealt him to the Vegas Golden Knights. His surgery was successful, and he ended up doing well in his return with the Golden Knights, paving the way for other players to have the surgery. Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson was the second player to receive the surgery, doing so shortly after Eichel, and Johnson returned for the final two months of the season.
Farabee is coming off the third NHL season of his career, all with the Flyers. It was a slight downgrade from his 2020-21 season, which saw him put up 20 goals and 38 points in 55 games, as he only had 17 goals and 34 points in 63 games this season.
The current recovery timeline has Farabee missing the first few weeks of the 2022-23 season for the Flyers. It will be the first season of his new six year extension with a $5 million cap hit, which he signed before the start of the 2021-22 season.