As part of yesterday's media conference call to announce the three-year contract extension for head coach Peter Laviolette, general manager Paul Holmgren also fielded questions about the status of Andrej Meszaros and Marc-Andre Bourdon.
According to Holmgren, both players have received a clean bill of health. Meszaros underwent back surgery last season, missing the stretch drive and all but the final game of the playoffs. Bourdon struggled with concussion-like symptoms in the latter part of the season and, after being reinjured in the first game of the playoffs, was forced to the sidelines for the remainder of the playoffs.
With the departure of Matt Carle and the team's inability to land Shea Weber after signing the Norris finalist to an offer sheet, Meszaros' health has become increasingly important to the team. The 2010-11 Barry Ashbee Trophy winner played inconsistently last season after returning from off-season hand surgery. He hit his stride in December and played well until lower back issues flared up and he ultimately underwent surgery.
Meszaros only played in the final game of the playoffs because the team was facing elimination. He wore a back brace during practices and admitted that, if the games were of lesser importance, he probably would not have been pushing himself so hard for an imminent return.
Come next season, the Flyers will need Meszaros to assume a bigger offensive role in moving the puck and playing on the power play. His cannon of a shot was often inaccurate last year (especially in the early part of the season) but he still managed seven goals and 25 points in just 62 games.
Bourdon, who is no longer exempt from waivers if the Flyers were to want to assign him to the AHL (with the exception of a brief conditioning stint), is now recovered from his late-season concussion symptoms, which did not fully disappear until late June. Still a restricted free agent, Bourdon is slated to compete with Bruno Gervais, Erik Gustafsson and Andreas Lilja for the one available starting job on the Philadelphia blueline.
"The contract part is ongoing but I expect in the near future we'll get something done with Marc-Andre," said Holmgren.
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