Oct 12, 2008 - 12:48 AM
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Defenseman Randy Jones will have surgery on a labrum in his hip, and while the 27-year-old estimated he would be sidelined only six to eight weeks, Holmgren had a different assessment.
"We didn't get very good news on Randy," Holmgren said. "Probably some time this week, he will head to Nashville to have surgery on his hip. Right now, we're probably looking at between 12 and 16 weeks recovery. It's a tough blow for Jonesy.
"Based on the information that I've received, he's got a lot of problems in there that we just didn't catch. This is an ongoing thing, but it's a bad injury for Jones, and it's too bad."
Jones was a bit more optimistic on Thursday, even referring to his injury situation as a "little setback".
"This is very disappointing. I was really looking forward to this camp and the start of the season, and getting off to a good start," Jones said on Thursday. "It's a little setback, but I'll hopefully get this fixed and come back healthier than before."
Coupled with veteran Derian Hatcher and fellow blue-liner Ryan Parent being placed on injured reserve on Thursday, the Flyers already are thin at the position.
Undrafted out of Clarkson University, Jones signed with Philadelphia as a free agent on July 24, 2003, one day after his 22nd birthday. The 6-2, 200-pound native of New Brunswick made his NHL debut in 2003-04 and became a regular on the Flyers' blue line in 2006-07, when he recorded four goals and 18 assists in 66 games.
Last season, Jones registered five tallies, 31 points and 58 penalty minutes in 71 contests. He has amassed nine goals and 52 assists in 170 career games.
