Andrew MacDonald's awkward spot with Flyers

Andrew MacDonald will be a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game on Thursday night against the Sabres.

This is the fourth game in a row he'll be out of the lineup, sitting one out to attend his grandmother's funeral in Nova Scotia, which raises more than a few eyebrows.

"There's little talk," MacDonald said of his communication with coach Craig Berube. "He understands that I'm upset. I'm wanting to play, obviously. But at the end of the day, he's got decisions to make. It's not a situation that anyone wants to be in."

Go back and sift through the video from last Tuesday's overtime loss in Montreal and it's not hard to see MacDonald was the Flyers' best defenseman that game.

So, what exactly is going on with MacDonald?

If Berube's lineup against Buffalo was based purely on merit and play, MacDonald would be back in. He's actually played rather well over the last month or two.

Instead, the Flyers haven't exactly been shy about using Braydon Coburn and Nick Grossmann recently, perhaps to showcase them for a potential trade.

Coburn in particular has struggled mightily in his first two games back following a left foot injury. The only way Coburn is going to knock off the rust, however, is by playing more. Sunday marked his first game back since Jan. 12.

Flyers professional scout John Chapman was in Anaheim on Wednesday night to watch the Ducks and Lightning, two teams which could use defensive help for the stretch run. Tampa Bay's Matt Carle is out until after the March 2 trade deadline. Anaheim will sorely miss Sami Vatanen for the next four to six weeks with a "lower-body" injury.

So far, Ron Hextall has seemingly given Berube free reign with his roster, allowing him carte blanche to scratch whomever - regardless of salary, stature or standing. Vinny Lecavalier was benched for seven straight games in December. Michael Del Zotto saw the ice in just three out of 13 games in December.

It's unlikely Hextall demanded Coburn to be back in the lineup, but the Flyers had points in eight straight games prior to Sunday, so why then?

"Coburn was ready to go, so we'll get him back in there," was Berube's explanation on Sunday for deciding on Coburn over MacDonald. "Mac missed some time, so he needs some practice time."

MacDonald, 28, is a highly-tuned professional athlete. He missed one game and one practice to take care of a personal matter, hardly enough to make the case he wasn't well conditioned enough to play.

"It's not a favorable situation," MacDonald said. "I thought I played pretty well in the Montreal game and then I had to deal with some personal issues.

"To be honest, I thought I was playing pretty good. I think the start of the year, I didn't get the start that I wanted. I didn't play that great. Maybe earlier in the year, there were some things to work on. I feel like throughout the year, I've worked on things they've asked me to. Moving forward, I felt like I was getting better and kind of finding my groove."

Surely, a numbers game factors into play here. With Kimmo Timonen, the Flyers have nine healthy defensemen. As players mentioned in December, that many defensemen creates a mental minefield on the ice, each player worried they could be the next one to sit out if they're to make a mistake.

Something is bound to happen, it must just to fit Timonen on the 23-man roster. What is clear is that MacDonald isn't going anywhere.

Until then, a more awkward question lingers for MacDonald, who is in the first season of a 6-year, $30 million pact: did he make the right choice to sign with the Flyers?

"I signed here for a reason. I wanted to be here," MacDonald said. "I believe in the team and the organization. Right now, I might not look very good, but it's still a great organization in my eyes, still a great place to play, and where I'd like to be. I've got to work through this and go forward. In my mind, (this is) certainly not a forever position. It is right now. It's something where you've just got to put your head down and be ready when your name is called."

On Twitter: @frank_seravalli