PHILADELPHIA — Flyers left winger Oskar Lindblom continues to make progress in his battle against a rare bone cancer.
Lindblom, 23, was tied for the Flyers’ team lead with 11 goals when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in December, and he has missed the rest of the suspended season. The Sweden native has been undergoing treatments at Penn, and he dropped by the Flyers’ locker room a few times between hospital visits.
“Oskar’s going through his last treatments coming up here, but everything I’ve been told from Jimmy (McCrossin, the team’s trainer) has been very positive,” Flyers assistant general manager Brett Flahr said Monday night. “He feels great, considering the condition he’s in. He’s such a great kid and he’s determined. His focus is to play as soon as possible.”
It is not known if Lindblom will be able to play next season.
“For all the stuff this guy has been through, he looks terrific,” Flahr said. “The last time I saw him, he looked good. He had that smile on his face. He’s doing things like cardio (workouts) to keep up his strength as much as he can. I think as soon as he gets his last treatments, the worst is over for him.”
Flahr said Lindblom’s doctors have told the young forward “it couldn’t have gone any better for him.”
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In another medical matter, center Nolan Patrick, 21, who has missed the season because of a migraine disorder, is “feeling better every day,” Flahr said.
The NHL season was suspended March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic; the league is hopeful the season can be resumed.
“It would have been a long shot for him to play down the stretch, but this (pause in the season) means more time, and who knows?” said Flahr when asked if Patrick could play this season. “Obviously, it’s going to be catch-up for everybody. If this season goes into the summer, he’s a possibility, for sure. Again, he’s got to earn his way. With some of the trades and things we’ve done, we have some depth.”
Flahr said if the season resumes and there’s a lengthy training camp, a healthy Patrick would be a “welcome addition.”
Patrick has returned to his home in Winnipeg during the break in the season.
Meanwhile, the Flyers appear close to signing free agent Linus Sandin, a high-scoring right winger in the Swedish Hockey League. If he signs, he would compete for a job in next season’s training camp.
Flahr praised the work of scout Joakim Grundberg, who was instrumental in drafting Lindblom in 2014, for his work in pursuing Sandin and “pushing for him from the beginning.”
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