We're down to three.
Three regulars at Skate Zone most days - Jody Shelley, Andreas Lilja and now ... Andrej Meszaros.
Meszaros stepped onto the ice last week for the first time since last spring. This week, he went out with his gear on.
This is about the best news the Flyers could have gotten during this lockout because Meszaros is recovering from a torn Achillies tendon, suffered during a freak off-ice workout in Europe last August.
I caught up with him on Tuesday at Skate Zone and you could see the visible signs of relief in his face. He was so full of angst back in September when the lockout began because he was dreading a rehab of six months or longer.
Though he spoke to Justin Williams back then - and was cautioned about not returning too soon - Meszaros told me he never talked to Ryan H oward and was afraid to because he didn't want to hear why Howard's return from this same injury took 9 months.
Tuesday, Meszaros was smiling and happy and feeling that if he wasn't slightly ahead of schedule, he at least wasn't behind in his rehab.
The lockout has helped the Flyers get healthier on the back end. Lilja is still recovering from off-season hip surgery and like Meszaros is being paid as an injured player.
"If" and I use that word cautiously, the season begins in December, there is a chance Meszaros will be back on the ice. At the very worst, I would think January, given his current state.
That's a huge break given the Flyers depleted depth back there and the fact they simply aren't as talented as last season without Chris Pronger and Matt Carle.
Yeah, Pronger got hurt in November and never returned but the point is, the Flyers at least began with both Pronger and Carle last year and would begin this year with Luke Schenn and Bruno Gervais and neither of them are in Pronger or Carle's class so, the defense is not anywhere as good as it once was.
From talking to various sources on the Flyers, I have been told that GM Paul Holmgren's game plan has not changed, even if there were no lockout. He wants to see how the defense plays for a month before deciding if it's good enough to compete at a high level in the East.
Meszaros recovery and possible return would make his decision a whole lot easier.
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