Derick Brassard on ice again, could return when Flyers get back from NHL All-Star break

VOORHEES, N.J. — Derick Brassard was one of nine players on the ice Sunday for a limited participation practice at Flyers Training Center.

Brassard practiced Friday, as well, and was able to push it more than he had been doing in his recovery from a nagging hip injury.

The 34-year-old center has missed 25 of the last 27 games. Twice he has briefly returned from the injury but didn't feel right the following day.

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One would think it's highly likely the Flyers won't rush Brassard back into the lineup Tuesday. They practice Monday and then host the Jets in their final game before the All-Star break (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). The Flyers are also coming off their first win since Dec. 29, so there's a good chance interim head coach Mike Yeo rolls with the same lineup from his team's 4-3 OT win Saturday over the Kings.

That would give Brassard another full week before the Flyers' first game back from the break. Yeo wants Brassard to participate in at least one full team practice before he returns to game action.

"We'll see how he does today," Yeo said Sunday of Brassard. "He hasn't had a full practice yet. I'll see what his availability is like. The other day he was able to participate in a couple of drills. We'll see what he's capable of doing tomorrow and then go from there."

The All-Star festivities are Friday and Saturday next week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After Tuesday's game against Winnipeg, the Flyers aren't back in game action until the following Wednesday when they host the Red Wings (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). After the All-Star break, clubs will no longer be permitted a taxi squad.

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Isaac Ratcliffe played a strong game in his NHL debut Saturday. The 6-foot-6 winger finished with four hits and three shots in limited minutes.

"Ratcliffe, he comes in last game, if he played that type of game and we didn't win, he'd still probably be quite deserving of playing another game," Yeo said.

"They have to show that they can help contribute to winning and I think that that's what he did in that game."

A victory can help with decisions.

"Certainly it makes things easier and makes things maybe more logical in certain situations to be able to go back with the same roster and same players that played that game," Yeo said.

Ratcliffe was on the ice Sunday with Brassard, Zack MacEwen, Connor Bunnaman, Nick Seeler, Kevin Connauton, Cam York, Martin Jones and Tyson Foerster.

Foerster, the Flyers' 2020 first-round pick, continues to rehab in Voorhees, New Jersey. The 20-year-old winger is recovering from shoulder surgery in November.

"It's months," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said of Foerster's recovery back in November. "I think the hope would be we can get him back healthy and get him some [AHL] games before the end of the year."