It was an inauspicious beginning to training camp for the Philadelphia Flyers as team captain and last seasons leading scorer Claude Giroux lasted about 15 minutes on the ice before suffering a "lower-body injury" and heading to the locker room.
Giroux is expected to miss the next 2 weeks, the NHL reports.
"We don't want to start camp like that but what are you going to do?" general manager Ron Hextall said. "We'll battle through and be the best we can be."
The Flyers will be returning Coach Craig Berube's system from last season, so Giroux won't be missing out in that aspect, but the current timetable, which has him unavailable for all of the Flyers' eight preseason games, is less than ideal.
Giroux is the number one center and emotional leader of the squad. He had 86 points in 82 games last season and was a finalist for the Hart Trophy.
Giroux had had no prior issues before Friday's injury.
"First day of camp and guys go 100 mph and things happen," Hextall said.
Potential replacements abound on the roster as the Flyers seem to always have an overabundance of centers, but none boast the prodigious skill and leadership qualities of Giroux.
Vinny Lecavalier, signed last offseason, is a prime candidate. The longtime Tampa Bay Lightning center was unable to find a permanent positional home last year and the team had lengthy discussions about where to play him this season. Lecavalier though has aged considerably and is no longer the player he once was.
"That's up to the coach, but we'll discuss it," Hextall told CSNPhilly. "There's going to be different line combinations probably tried throughout training camp and preseason, so we'll see. We'll see how that goes."
Another option is Brayden Schenn, a former first-overall draft pick brought over in trade from the Los Angeles Kings in the Mike Richards deal. Schenn began training camp playing left wing on the top line with Giroux. He is a young player and natural center who hasn't yet fully adjusted to the wing.
Giroux missed part of last season's training camp as well as he worked his way back from surgery and still managed to have a very productive season. The Flyers, though no doubt discouraged by the less than ideal start, are surely hoping this year will bring more of the same.
