Joel Farabee undergoes surgery and could miss start of Flyers’ season

Joel Farabee, one of the Philadelphia Flyers’ best forwards, may miss the start of the 2022-23 season, general manager Chuck Fletcher announced Friday.

A winger who was also used at center last season, Farabee underwent successful disc-replacement surgery in his cervical region Friday morning. The surgery was performed by Dr. Jon Yoon, a neurosurgeon at Penn Medicine.

Farabee, who scored 17 goals (fourth on the team) in 63 games last season, is expected to make a full recovery in three to four months, Fletcher said.

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In a best-case scenario, he he would be ready early in training camp, which starts Sept. 21.

The regular season starts Oct. 11 for some teams, though the Flyers’ schedule has not yet been announced.

Based on the Flyers’ estimation, Farabee would be ready around Oct. 24 in a worse-case scenario.

Fletcher said the onset of Farabee’s symptoms only happened recently, which is why surgery wasn’t performed earlier in the offseason.

Farabee, 22, a first-round draft selection in 2018, has 45 goals in 170 NHL games. He missed some time last season because of the injury and managed just two points in his last 14 games. The injury worsened as the offseason progressed.

In 2022-23, the Philadelphia Flyers will be trying to bounce back under new coach John Tortorella. They had their second-worst record (25-46-11) in franchise history last season.

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