Gagne Done for the Season

The bad luck is coming in bunches now for the Philadelphia Flyers. Fresh off their 8th straight loss, the Flyers learned today that Simon Gagne, who hadn't played since he suffered a concussion on February 10th, will not play for the remainder of this season, including the playoffs. Gagne, who has had three concussions this season, met with the same concussion specialist that Eric Lindros once used, James Kelly. He was informed that playing again this season could lead to permanent brain damage.

Gagne may never be the player he once was, as he is starting down the Eric Lindros career path. The concussions are coming easier for him, with even smaller hits knocking the star player out. Let's hope that he can take the next few months to fully recover and come back at full strength next year. He never was healthy this season, but he still managed to notch 18 points in 25 games.

This is a huge blow to the Flyers chances this season. Gagne, when healthy, is a talented sniper that adds a lot of energy and offensive firepower to the club. Without him, there is a huge void in top line talent. This news might lead to the Flyers giving up their hopes of acquiring those last few pieces to make a Cup run, and instead hold on to their youth for next season.

This should also put to bed all of those on again/off again rumors about Peter Forsberg returning to the Flyers. One of the main draws for Forsberg to suit up for the Flyers was being able to play with Gagne again. With our Cup chances dwindling, he won't want to play for Philly, and we certainly don't need him now.