For the second straight week, the Carolina Panthers have started off the practice week with the worst possible news. It can be argued that losing Rico Dowdle would be the worst possible loss this offense could sustain (maybe this entire team), and he was once again held out of practice on Wednesday.
Last week, it proved to be precautionary after a very physical contest in Green Bay where he clearly got banged up. Last Sunday, though, Dowdle looked more ineffective than usual. Part of that can be attributed to the Saints, but clearly, Dowdle is not 100% right now.
However, based on the reporting coming out of Charlotte, this is nothing to be too concerned about. The AP’s Steve Reed reports that Dowdle is expected to practice tomorrow. The Panthers cannot lose their most crucial offensive player, but it doesn’t look like they’re going to.
Dowdle’s workload has gone way up lately, and he’s come down with a few nagging tweaks in that time. It’s no surprise that the veteran back is being treated with the utmost caution. If he does get hurt, this offense would be in dire shape.
His status tomorrow will tell us the full story, but as of now, it doesn’t look like Panthers fans or Fantasy Football managers need to be too concerned about the running back. Joining Dowdle in the DNP section are Lathan Ransom and Trevin Wallace.
Derrick Brown was limited, but the Panthers are not too worried about the issue. He should also practice tomorrow. Ransom could play this week after hand surgery, and Wallace is likely out on a week-to-week basis.
The Panthers will head to Atlanta this weekend to try and prevent the Falcons from getting revenge for a 30-0 loss in Charlotte, and they’ll need all hands on deck. They will also try to keep dwindling playoff hopes alive and avoid falling under .500 for the first time since Week 5.
For the most part, the Panthers haven’t lost any other contributors, though the Injured Reserve does have crucial members of the team on it now.
Nic Deslauriers shouldn’t be playing against the Edmonton Oilers, or hardly any teams in the NHL.
Nov 4, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Philadelphia Flyers left wing Nicolas Deslauriers (44) looks on against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia Flyers return to action on Wednesday night with a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers suffered a 9-1 home loss to the Avalanche on Saturday night and had to come from behind to beat the Blue Jackets on Monday night.
To put it simply, the team that has lost in the Stanley Cup Final in the last two years is struggling mightily right now. They’re without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, leaving Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to carry even more of the load than they usually do.
So, with the Flyers playing their first game since Saturday afternoon, when Rick Tocchet admitted that he has to do a better job of getting the team ready after the Senators took a 2-0 lead, it would make sense to ice your best lineup, right?
Well, it does help that Tyson Foerster should be back for Wednesday night. He was in a regular jersey and reunited with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink at practice on Tuesday, and then took part in an optional morning skate on Wednesday.
But it certainly does not help when one of your other 12 forwards is someone whose primary impact is made with his fists, not his stick.
Of course, we’re talking about Nic Deslauriers.
I wrote before the season that it’s time for the Flyers to move on from Deslauriers, and that still rings true — perhaps even more now than ever.
Deslauriers has played 45:58 across 56 shifts in his six games this season. He’s had two shots on goal and as many fights in that span, and funnily enough, the Flyers are 5-1-0 with him in the lineup. We know that coaches love to stick with winning lineups, but Deslauriers has had nearly as much of an impact on those victories as you — yes, you.
Despite all of the intangibles that Deslauriers may bring, his tangible results are telling.
The enforcer has been the Flyers’ worst regular forward this season. The team has been outshot 17-10 with him on the ice, and shot attempts are 44-32 for the opposition in his 45:27 of 5-on-5 time. They’ve been outscored 2-0 and outchanced 20-12.
Another argument against dressing Deslauriers is what happened a few weeks ago against the Predators. Sean Couturier left the game in the first period due to injury, so the Flyers were essentially forced to play with 10 forwards the rest of the game as Deslauriers got just nine shifts for 7:45 of ice time in that one.
That game was the perfect example of why it’s important to play your 12 best forwards. If there is an injury or a player misses time due to an extended fighting major or 10-minute misconduct, you can’t simply move Deslauriers up the lineup like you can with some of these other options.
Now, you might be arguing that the fourth line doesn’t matter that much, and whoever this team dresses as the 12th forward probably won’t change the outcome of the game. And, sure, that’s probably correct. But why are we brushing off lineup decisions that make the team worse?
Nikita Grebenkin isn’t lighting the world on fire, that’s for sure, but he’s a much more effective winger than Deslauriers is. His underlying metrics aren’t great either, with the Flyers getting outshot 84-72 and outchanced 41-36 in his 101:45 at 5-on-5, but he brings more of a scoring touch and can skate a lot better than Deslauriers.
Carl Grundstrom also has plenty of experience and was called up to make his Flyers debut on Saturday. He’ll likely be sent down if the Flyers activate Foerster, but they could also send down someone like Adam Ginning, who probably won’t get into the lineup as long as Emil Andrae and Egor Zamula are with the big club.
The Oilers, with all of their warts, are still one of the measuring stick teams in the league. The Flyers could take advantage of their slow start and injuries by playing their 12 best forwards and rolling four lines against an even shallower-than-normal Edmonton squad. Instead, Deslauriers gets back into the lineup for some reason, and Grebenkin goes from someone they trust to move up in the lineup to the press box.
Who knows, maybe the Flyers will win their sixth straight game with Deslauriers in the lineup, and perhaps he’ll score a goal to boot. But it’s still not the right decision. Not now, and hardly ever.