Earlier today, the Philadelphia Flyers placed forward Joel Farabee on injured reserve. Farabee suffered an upper-body injury in last week’s 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers after taking a hard spill into the boards.
The Flyers in turn recalled forward Jackson Cates from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a corresponding move. Philadelphia now maintains 14 healthy forwards on the current roster.
Before his firing, former head coach Alain Vigneault confirmed that Farabee injured his shoulder specifically when he slid into the boards. Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic reported on Saturday that Farabee’s injury is a Grade 2 A/C sprain.
Before his injury, Farabee was on a three-game goal streak heading into the game against the Rangers. He currently has 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points in 21 games for Philadelphia this season. His point total makes him one of only six Flyers to reach double digits in total scoring.
Cates has logged some solid minutes on a struggling Lehigh Valley squad this season so far. At the time of his recall, he has scored 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in 18 games with the Phantoms this season.
Cates was a college free agent signing by the Flyers last year from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where his younger brother and fellow Flyers prospect Noah Cates is currently playing. The elder Cates helped lead the Bulldogs to a National Championship in 2019 as a freshman. He made his professional and NHL debut with the Flyers last season and appeared in four games for Philadelphia, recording one assist in that span.
Cates will wear #59 and will be available on this upcoming desert road trip for the Flyers as they take on the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow night. That will be followed by a matchup against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday to close out their two-game season series.
