Season over? Flyers lose Carter for 3-4 weeks

First they lost Ray Emery for the season, then Michael Leighton. Add to that the 4 losses in their last 5 games. So, of course this happens.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the Flyers, they will be without their top goal scorer for the rest of the regular season: Jeff Carter will miss the next 3-4 weeks with a fracture in his left foot, which happened when he blocked a shot against the Thrashers on Sunday. With only 3 weeks left in the season, this means the Flyers could also be without Carter when the playoffs get under way.

So, is that it for the Flyers? Should we stick a fork in them? While Carter leads the Flyers with 33 goals this season, the team does have plenty of other goal scorers, with 8 other players in double-digits. So, while it appears that the Flyers season is circling the drain, if they can get one of Claude Giroux or James van Riemsdyk to step up in the absence of Carter, the Flyers can keep hope alive.

Losing Carter isn't the end of the world for the Flyers. Barring a massive collapse, the Eastern Conference isn't strong enough to keep them out of the playoffs. If they can just keep the ship afloat for the next few weeks, the Flyers will find themselves back in the playoffs, likely against one of the top teams in the East. Sure, they seem destined for a first round failure, but that probably would have happened with or without Jeff Carter. Maybe another first round exit will convince the Flyers they need a real goaltender. Then again, it probably won't.