Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2010, 5:22 PM | 15 comments |
 

Parent to have surgery
options
 

In a move that was completely unsurprising, the Flyers announced on Saturday that defenseman Ryan Parent will undergo back surgery on Monday.

The Daily News first reported on Jan. 4 that Parent has a herniated disc in his lower back that could possibly need surgery.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren refuted the claim the following day.

"Ryan Parent will have surgery on Monday, January 25th to remove a disc fragment from his lumbar spine," Holmgren said Saturday in a statement.

Holmgren acknowledged last week that Parent, 22, had suffered "setbacks" in his effort to try and play through the injury. Parent has missed the last 14 games and has not skated with the team since Dec. 26.

The fact that Parent's disc was past the point of "bulging," as it was when the Flyers first acquired him from Nashville in Feb. 2007, left the Flyers little options. It was a debilitating injury. According to a medical source, this surgery will remove a piece of bone fragment that was lodged in his spine.

Parent missed 23 games in 2006-07, his final year of juniors with the Guelph Storm, because of the bulging disc.

"After running the gamut with Ryan in terms of different things we have tried to relieve the discomfort he was having, we felt this was the way to go for Ryan’s overall health. The surgery is minimally invasive and will keep Ryan out for approximately six weeks," Holmgren said Saturday.

The surgery will be performed by Dr. Scott Rushton at Lankenau Hospital on Monday. Because it is minimally invasive, Parent has a chance to return to the lineup this season - sometime around March 8.

"Unlike conventional surgery which requires a lengthy incision and would most likely preclude Parent from returning to the ice this season, minimally-invasive spinal surgery (MISS) is performed through an opening roughly the size of a nickel using a device similar to an arthroscope," a medical source told the Daily News.
Posted by Frank Seravalli @ 5:22 PM  Permalink | 15 comments
15
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:47 PM, 01/23/2010
    Parent has a good understanding of the game for a young guy and is a decent defensive player. But the injuries are a serious concern. He's also got as much offensive upside and a large cinder block.
    — JSaq
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:31 PM, 01/23/2010
    GOODBYE!!!, cut him loose and let him tie up someone elses roster!!!..Do we have anyone NHL ready or at least ready to learn on the fly?!..Is Kevin Marshall ready?!..We aint winning the cup this year so lets get a rookie some playing time and build for next year..
    — CROSSI
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:31 PM, 01/23/2010
    I am staioned down here in Norfolk, and last Saturday I went to watch The Phantoms -vs- The Admirals. Marshall looks decent, so does Mormina. Mormina looked a little better I thought. But It could of been that game....I'm waiting for Jon Matsumoto to come up, he looked really good.
    — Mickey_5grand
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:09 PM, 01/23/2010
    ryan parent and marc staal are the reason the leafs suck. they were so good shutting down the big guns at the world juniors the leafs made the mistake of thinking pogge was legit and traded rask.for that he should have lifetime contract in philly.
    — kj22
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:51 PM, 01/23/2010
    Parent hasn't skated with the team since December 26th and they wait an entire month to have surgery? WTF? Brilliant medical staff there...did they get their medical degrees out of a Cracker Jacks box?
    — Kanayd
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:56 PM, 01/23/2010
    Get this kid healthy!!! dont rush him!!!
    — bigphillydad
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:36 PM, 01/23/2010
    Kanayd, are you a Dr.? Do you know the severity of his back injury? Read the article again moron and you'll see that this is a problem he's had for years, but this is the 1st time it's affected his professional career. Surgery is always the last option whether you're a professional athlete or a garbage man. Getting a nerve block, an injection into the spine between the affected vertebrae, is the option if rehab doesn't work. That can take up to 3 weeks to determine if it is successful. If not, they do a second injection, which again takes up to 3 weeks to determine its success. Then comes surgery genius.
    — srf466
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:37 PM, 01/23/2010
    Flyers will miss him because the 3rd defenseman pairing has been really shaky this year. Bartulis has really struggled even for a rookie, Tollefsen is a marginal guy, and Syrvet has been plagued by nagging injuries. If Holmgren is going to make a move before the deadline, it likely will be for a second-tier, veteran defenseman for some blue-line depth.
    — MG77
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:12 AM, 01/24/2010
    MG77, I totally disagree with your assessment of Bartulis. I think he's played quite well for a rookie, especially one who was never highly touted. As far as offensive production goes, he's no better or worse than Parent in that category. Maybe you're seeing something that I'm not seeing when I watch his game.
    — srf466
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:25 AM, 01/24/2010
    CROSSI "GOODBYE!!!, cut him loose and let him tie up someone elses roster!!!..Do we have anyone NHL ready or at least ready to learn on the fly?!..Is Kevin Marshall ready?!..We aint winning the cup this year so lets get a rookie some playing time and build for next year.." Dude, there's still 32 games left to play this season. Now chances are you're right and the Flyers won't win the cup this season. However, they're certainly not in a position to want to start dumping players and as far as this team getting younger with another rookie, we're already one of the youngest teams in the league. At this point last year the Penguins were dead in the water. New coach, new enthusiasm, and suddenly they're raising the Stanley Cup. I'm not saying that's going to happen here, but to give up on this season at this point, especially considering how much better The Flyers have played in January, there is no reason to believe that the Flyers have no chance of winning this year. Chances are they won't and will be a real force next season, but still this team has plenty of talent and is now playing a system that actually causes our opponents problems based on the amount of pressure we apply and the skilled players we have on this roster.
    — srf466
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:32 AM, 01/24/2010
    Ryan Parent? How well will the Flyers adjust to the loss of Ryan Parent? Very well...he hasn't played since before Christmas. The team could use him when he develops into a solid defenseman, but I don't think he is better than anyone they start now. LETS HOPE PRONGER STAYS HEALTHY!!!
    — Remember Tim Kerr
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:37 AM, 01/24/2010
    Good to see legit hockey talk here (hard to come by lately). I come here for legitamacy, not the usual idocy.
    — road515
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:45 AM, 01/24/2010
    I'm sure Holmgren will have to give up another draft pick for a servicable/veteran defenseman that will most likely have very little impact nor be with the team for very long. Sorry, I just finished reading about the Flyers sorry prospect pool, and also realize they have sacrificed MANY draft picks yet to come. For this team, what you see is pretty much what you will be getting for the next few seasons. Any needs that arise will dig deeper into the Flyers future.
    — FlyFifty8


15 comments
About Frank Seravalli
Frank Seravalli is in his fourth year with the Daily News and third season covering the Flyers. He started at the Daily News as an intern writing about the boozing legends of the Lincoln Financial Field lots and hasn't left. Since joining the Flyers beat, he has covered everything from the Winter Classic to the Stanley Cup Final and everything in between. Prior to joining the Daily News, the Bucks County native did a large amount of freelance work for local media outlets, covering high schools, colleges and all four of Philly's major sports teams. He resides in Center City. E-mail Frank at seravaf@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter @DNFlyers.

Join on Facebook    Follow on Twitter

Advertise Here
XML
 
“@TBLightning: The Lightning have acquired a 2nd Rd pick in '12 or '13, a 4th Rd pick in '13 and LW Kalinski from PHL for Kubina." - 02/18/2012
 
Kalinski is not on the Phantoms' bus, was a late scratch from tonight's game, and left with his equipment. Waiting for confirmation. - 02/18/2012
 
Word I'm hearing is that Jon Kalinski did not leave with Phantoms tonight. He's off to Norfolk (AHL) which would be that contract. - 02/18/2012
Latest Flyers Videos