Phase 2: Long Break a Blessing in Disguise for Myers

When the National Hockey League's 2019-20 season went into "pause" mode on March 12 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Flyers rookie defenseman Phil Myers was dealing with a fractured right kneecap suffered five nights earlier when he blocked a shot in a 3-1 home win over the Buffalo Sabres.

On the play, Myers limped off the ice but soon returned and finished the game. He was also on the ice for the team's next practice but was unable to complete it. After tests revealed the fracture, Myers learned that he'd faced a month-long recovery process. He missed the March 10 game against Boston. Shayne Gostisbehere returned to the Flyers' lineup, and Mark Friedman was recalled from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms for roster depth.

At least insofar as hockey goes, the extended duration of Phase 1 (leaguewide self-quarantine) of the return-to-play plan was a blessing in disguise for Myers. With no stretch drive and Stanley Cup playoffs on the docket during that time period, he was able to fully heal and rehab the injury by the time the league entered Phase 2 (informal workouts) on June 8.

Myers reported to the Flyers training complex at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on June 19. He has skated all but one day this week,

"It's good to be back, see some of the boys and sort of get back to the routine. To be able to work out at the Skate Zone is a privilege, and I'm happy to be back," he said to Zack Hill, the Flyers' senior director of communications.

"I've been rehabbing while I was at home. I've been working hard and working out. I've just got to get back to skating now, because I hadn't skated much at home. I never needed surgery or anything, so it was a smooth recovery."

When the return-to-play plan enters Phase 3 (formal training camp) and, eventually Phase 4 (in which the Flyers at least one exhibition game, a three-game round robin for playoff seeding and, finally, the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals), Myers figures to return to playing right defense on a pairing with Travis Sanheim.

Officially an NHL rookie this season after playing 21 games for the Flyers one season ago, the 23-year-old is in his third professional season. He started the 2019-20 with a brief stint in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms but was recalled on Oct. 31. He's been in the NHL ever since.

After being a periodic healthy scratch during the first half of this season, Myers started each of the 28 games played between Jan. 2 and his injury on March 7. With the Flyers this season, he has posted a traditional plus-minus rating of +17, a 51.43 percent on-ice Corsi, 50.87 percent Fenwick, and 50.34 percent expected goals percentage at 5-on-5. Back in November, he assembled a three-game goal-scoring streak.

"I thought [my season] went well for the most part. It had ups and downs at the start but, after Christmas, I was playing some consistent hockey and earned some of the coaches' trust. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the first season went, but there's still lots to do. I'm just going to keep working hard, stay humble and just go from there," Myers said.

Myers is an outstanding natural athlete, combining imposing size (6-foot-5, 210 pounds), excellent muscular and cardiovascular conditioning, exceptional range and mobility as well as an aggressive style of play. There are many things he does well, and others that, with some further improvement, could help propel him to being the total package as a modern-day NHL defenseman.

"[The biggest adjustment] has been just keeping it simple. The speed [of the NHL pace] is a little bit of a factor as well but, I think for me, was trying not to do too much. After that, it was a pretty good season. When I was keeping it simple, that's when I was playing my best hockey. So I'm just gonna keep doing that and, hopefully, it'll go well for me," he said.