The defenseman last played Nov. 13 because of a lower-body injury, but said that it wasn't until about a month ago that his precise injury was diagnosed and a plan was put into place for him to get back on the ice.
Ellis wouldn't go into detail on the injury, only calling it a "multilayered" issue involving the "complex of the whole pelvic region."
"It wasn't just one thing fix all," he said Saturday. "That was the problem, trying to figure out what's going on. It had multiple levels of what the problem was. We have a plan, everyone's very comfortable and happy with the plan. I'm excited to be ready for training camp. It's going to be a long summer getting through it all but I'm excited."
Ellis said his recovery plan does not involve surgery.
"The different things that are going on, nothing is broke enough to do surgery on," he said.
Ellis said his recovery process came after multiple MRIs and visits to several specialists. He said it's an injury no other hockey player he knows has dealt with.
"That's part of the whole reason it took forever," he said. "Not that it's rare, but it hasn't been a problem in a lot of people. That's part of the reason it took so long to figure out what's going on, then to make a plan on how to fix it."
General manager Chuck Fletcher said the Flyers are in full support of Ellis and his approach to getting healthy.
"This is the best I've felt about things in a while," Fletcher said Tuesday. "It's basically multiple injuries. There's no clean and easy one-step solution to the problem. But I think we have a great plan in place now. It's a pretty aggressive plan and I like it because I think there's a big upside if all goes as scheduled. The goal is to have him back at the beginning of next season."
Ellis, who was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on July 17, was projected as the right-hand shot the Flyers needed on their top defense pair alongside Ivan Provorov.
Instead he played four games and the Flyers (25-46-11) finished last in the Metropolitan Division.
"It was a very frustrating year," Ellis said. "The hardest thing is the mental and emotional [stress] it's put on me and my family. ... I want to play here, I want to be here, I'm very excited. I came in very excited. I'm still just as excited. The big thing is I need to play and I want to play."
He said his progress has been positive so far.
"The next month or so I plan to start getting more and more active in the gym," Ellis said. "Skating is my job so I wouldn't doubt (if) a couple weeks later I get on the ice and get moving again. It's just a process that needs to unfold. ... Ramp it up in July, August and get going for camp."
Ellis was one of several key players on the roster who finished the season injured but had positive updates in their final media sessions of the season.
Center Sean Couturier, who had season-ending back surgery Feb. 11, took part in practices the final week of the regular season.
"I feel pretty good," he said. "I wouldn't say I'm 100 percent but getting there. ... We haven't had medicals and physicals yet. It will depend on what [the doctors] say or think is best but I'm guessing I'll be cleared pretty soon."
Defenseman Cam York missed the final nine games of the season after sustaining a hairline fracture of his foot blocking a shot against the Washington Capitals on April 12 and still is doing rehabilitation.
Forward Cam Atkinson (lower body), goalie Carter Hart (lower body) and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body), all of whom also were injured against Washington, each said they expect to be cleared to begin their offseason training in the next week or so.
