{"id":414532,"date":"2026-01-18T07:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T07:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/414532\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T07:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T07:57:09","slug":"flyers-center-leaves-game-after-gruesome-leg-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/414532\/","title":{"rendered":"Flyers center leaves game after gruesome leg injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Philadelphia Flyers are without yet another player as center Rodrigo Abols had to exit Saturday afternoon\u2019s game against the New York Rangers after a devastating and nasty-looking injury to his leg.<\/p>\n

During the first period of this fairly important game against the division rivals, Abols went into a board battle for a loose puck with Rangers winger Gabe Perreault. Initially, it looked like a fairly harmless play but as the Flyers centerman turned around, it appears that the toe of his skate was stuck in the ice. Basically, his foot remained still as the rest of his body turned \u2014 that\u2019s never a good thing to do.<\/p>\n

Flyers lose Rodrigo Abols after freak injury<\/p>\n

For those that might not like that description above and maybe don\u2019t like the sight of legs twisting in ways that they are not supposed to, you probably shouldn\u2019t watch the video.<\/p>\n

Rodrigo \u0100bols will not return against the Rangers after suffering a gruesome leg injury in the first period. pic.twitter.com\/TR3gtOipH8<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Ouch.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of those injuries that you just instantly feel on the couch. Bones twisting, ligaments bending in ways they are not built to do \u2014 it\u2019s just overall a very uncomfortable feeling just watching that.<\/p>\n

There has been no official word what Abols suffered, but by the looks of it and some very amateur eyes on our part, it has to be a broken ankle or even something managed to snap loose in his knee area as it got mangled and contorted as the 30-year-old center fell to the ice.<\/p>\n

Abols was not able to leave the ice on his own and had to be helped off by a couple of teammates; just another bad sign that this could really be a lengthy absence from the Latvian.<\/p>\n

Going forward, the Flyers will need to find Abols\u2019s replacement as soon as possible. They have some more older veterans who might not be as good but could at least fill a role down the middle, like Jacob Gaucher; or a young player who isn\u2019t necessarily a top prospect, such as Karsen Dorwart; or maybe even newcomer Philip Tomasino gets his shot as he is the most experienced out of those options but has not played a whole lot of center during his NHL stints. <\/p>\n

With the Flyers facing an upcoming scenic three-game road trip out to Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, there will at least be some movement no matter what. Especially since defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is out injured and not coming on the road trip \u2014 with Abols also out, there will be a couple recalls up from Lehigh Valley before Monday\u2019s game against the Golden Knights.<\/p>\n

But maybe the worst thing about all of this is Abols potentially missing out on representing Latvia at the upcoming Olympics. Abols is one of four Flyers who will be traveling to Italy to take part in the winter games but might just be more of a heartstring-pulling story for fans. Since taking part in his first Olympic Games back in 2022, Abols has managed to make his return to the NHL after needing to go back to play in Europe and re-find his game. Now a full-time depth center for the Flyers and actually playing consistent big-league games for the first time in his career at age 30, he was going to go over and potentially be more of a leader on that Latvia team.<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s all potentially come crashing down because the toe of his skate just stuck in the ice at a weird angle. Really, really sucks.<\/p>\n

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