Andrew MacDonald News

MacDonald (lower-body) will be back in the next 10 days.

MacDonald was expected to start skating on his own on Tuesday, but he still was not back on the ice on Wednesday. MacDonald may have suffered a setback, but GM Ron Hextall noted today that they’ll have MacDonald back in the blue line in 10 days or so. He has been sidelined since October 22nd.

Andrew MacDonald
MacDonald will miss four weeks with a lower-body injury.

MacDonald must have suffered the injury on Wednesday vs. the Penguins, but he played 21:25 so that is not for sure. This a a tough break for the Flyers, who found out Braydon Coburn will miss an additional four weeks as well. The Flyers do not have an extra defenseman on the roster at this time, so expect a call-up this afternoon.

Andrew MacDonald
The Flyers have signed Andrew MacDonald to a six-year, $30 million contract.

MacDonald was acquired by the Flyers around this year's trade deadline on March 4 from the NY Islanders, and since joining the team, has four assists in 19 games and recorded over 20 minutes of ice-time in 14 of those games, including a Flyers-high of 28:49 at Pittsburgh on April 12. The 6-1, 190-pound defenseman led all NHL players in blocked shots this season with 242 and was one of three players in the NHL with over 200 blocks. He finished the season with four goals and 24 assists for 28 points in 82 games between the Islanders and Flyers.

Andrew MacDonald
MacDonald will make his Flyers debut on Wednesday.

MacDonald who was acquired from the Islanders on Tuesday, will start his Flyers career with Luke Schenn as his D-partner. MacDonald will also play on the Flyers second power-play unit on the point with former Isles teammate Mark Streit. MacDonald had four goals and 20 assists in 63 games on Long Island.

Andrew MacDonald
The Islanders have traded Andrew MacDonald to the Flyers for a 2014 3rd round-pick, a 2015 2nd round-pick and AHLer Matt Mangene.

MacDonald was probably the most sought-after defensemen at the deadline. He is in the last year of a deal that only carries a $550,000 cap-hit. MacDonald leads the NHL in blocked shots with 198, which is 28 more than the next highest (Josh Gorges 170). At 25:05 he is eighth in the NHL in TOI per game and sees time on both the Islanders power-play and shorthanded units. The deal gives the Flyers nine NHL defensemen, so expect another move out of the Flyers camp before Wednesday's 3 pm EST deadline.

Andrew MacDonald
Andrew MacDonald (hip surgery) also not skating at practice, more on his status to come.

Doesn't sound like a short-term injury for MacDonald. Last season he registered four goals and 27 points last season while missing 22 games, playing mostly on the top defensive pairing. With Mark Streit's return, look for him to round out the top-6 when healthy.

Andrew MacDonald