Randy Jones, expected to be in the Flyers' second defensive pairing, said it is inevitable that he will undergo hip surgery that would sideline him for six to eight weeks.

With Ryan Parent set for shoulder surgery on Thursday and expected to miss at least three months, the Flyers are down to six healthy defensemen, including 18-year-old Luca Sbisa.

"Two we were counting on, and it looks like they won't be available - and that's never a good thing," coach John Stevens said after yesterday's practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, Camden County. "But it is what it is, and we have to deal with it, so we looked at a couple different things today and we'll look at a couple different things tomorrow. We'll fast-track a couple of the new guys and have to rely on them pretty heavily right away."

Jones said an MRI exam showed he had torn the labrum (cartilage) in his right hip and suffered bone impingement along with "a lot of messy stuff going on that, over time, has caused groin pain and a hip flexor."

Jones said the hip has bothered him the last couple of years "and it's getting a lot worse."

Today, Jones will sit down with Flyers trainer Jimmy McCrossin and the club's management and "see what the best scenario is." Jones is expected to meet next week with Thomas Byrd, a hip specialist in Nashville.

Jones, who had a cortisone shot last week that did not alleviate the pain, said he has been told that surgery is the best option.

"It's either that or bite the lip for the rest of the season and get it done when the season is done," he said.

The injuries to Jones and Parent mean that, barring a trade - general manager Paul Holmgren is working the phones - the Flyers will be using a revamped defense. (Holmgren noted that San Jose veteran defenseman Kyle McLaren just cleared waivers, but the general manager added: "We have [salary] cap issues, so it's not as easy as it seems.")

The defense would include four players - Sbisa, Lasse Kukkonen, Ossi Vaananen and Steve Eminger - who played a combined 73 NHL games last season.

A few weeks ago, Sbisa was considered a long shot to make the team. Now he may be part of the Flyers' No. 1 defensive pairing in tomorrow night's opener against the visiting New York Rangers.

Stevens used several defensive combinations during yesterday's practice. He said there's a chance he will temporarily separate his No. 1 duo - Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn - because of the rash of injuries.

"Coby's at the point now where he can probably handle more responsibility, and everybody who plays with Kimmo seems to do well," Stevens said.

Sbisa, who may be with the team for the long haul, practiced with Timonen yesterday.

"It's never good to have guys injured," Sbisa said. "I hope they come back soon, but right now I'm just taking this opportunity to do the best I can."

Sbisa said he was excited - and a bit anxious - to play in his first NHL game.

"But once I step on the ice, I think the nervousness will go away," he said.

Breakaways. After yesterday's practice, the Flyers worked with students from the Overbrook School for the Blind in West Philadelphia. The players held the students' hands and skated with them around the rink or pushed them on chairs that were on the ice. . . . Center Steve Downie, who has been bothered by an injured left knee, skated yesterday and the Flyers are hopeful he can play tomorrow. . . . Sean Curry, Nate Guenin, Tim Ramholt and Danny Syvret are among the defensemen who could get called up from the AHL Phantoms.

Flyers captain Mike Richards did not skate but worked out. Richards on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin dropping the ceremonial first puck tomorrow: "Now that I know who she is - I'm obviously Canadian, so I don't pay attention to too much political stuff - to have someone like that drop a puck at a hockey game is obviously big for hockey and big for us. . . . I'm excited to be able to shake her hand at center ice." . . . The players wore Phillies caps toward the end of practice to show their support.

The Flyers announced they had added forward Jared Ross to their roster and sent goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin to the Phantoms.

or scarchidi@phillynews.com.

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