Flyers star Kevin Hayes out six to eight weeks following abdominal surgery

Philadelphia Flyers training camp hasn’t even officially opened yet, but the team already announced multiple injuries. Kevin Hayes will be out six to eight weeks following abdominal surgery, Samuel Morin was given a six- to eight-week timeline after knee surgery on Sept. 10 and Wade Allison, who was injured at the recent rookie tournament, is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain. Zayde Wisdom is still out indefinitely following his shoulder surgery, and Cooper Zech is out six to eight weeks with an upper-body issue.

Hayes is the obvious headline here, given he is expected to be a key part of the Flyers attack again this season. According to head coach Alain Vigneault, the veteran center felt pain in his groin Monday and went in for surgery Tuesday. Six weeks from Tuesday is Nov. 2, meaning he will miss at least the first 10 or so games of the regular season should the timeline prove accurate.

In fact, the head coach specifically noted how difficult the first month of the season will be without Hayes and Allison, who also made quite an impact in his short time last season. The 23-year-old Allison scored four goals and seven points in 14 games with the Flyers after showing he was more than ready for the jump to the NHL. Selected 52nd overall in 2016, he could very well push up the depth chart this season as the team tries to find a new identity.

For Morin, this latest surgery was to have loose bodies removed, not a repair of any major ligament. That should inspire at least a bit of confidence that he’ll be able to return at full strength, but it’s difficult to project anything for the 26-year-old at this point. Once a promising defensive prospect, his professional career has been ravaged by injuries, limiting him to just 58 games (at any level) since the start of the 2017-18 season. After a failed attempt to restart his career as a forward, Morin returned to the defensive side of the puck late last season and is listed again as a defenseman this season.