VOORHEES, N.J. — It wasn't easy for Garnet Hathaway to not be around, especially with where the Flyers had fallen to in March.
They went through a stretch of 11 losses in 12 games. They moved on from three more players — two of them experienced guys — at the March 7 trade deadline. And they fired John Tortorella four days ago.
A lot happened as Hathaway missed almost all of March with an upper-body injury. He couldn't help as the Flyers slumped into significant changes. Instead, he had to watch from afar.
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"It's always tough for how close this room is, there were a lot of moments that I wish I were a part of," Hathaway said after morning skate. "The losses, the trades, the coaching change, stuff that I wasn't in the room for, couldn't really see stuff firsthand. Glad to be back."
Hathaway will return to the lineup Monday as the Flyers host the Predators (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). He last played Feb. 27, when he took a blindsided hit from Penguins winger Bokondji Imama. While working his way back, Hathaway has worn a helmet with a tinted visor, which is often used by players recovering from head injuries.
The 33-year-old is a hard-nosed winger who likes to create momentum with physicality. He doesn't want to lose his style of play in his return.
"I'm going into it optimistic, there's no other way to do it," Hathaway said. "I'm back and I'm ready to be back and I'm going to play that way."
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Hathaway is in his second season with the Flyers and is under contract for two more after signing an extension last summer. He has eight goals, 10 assists and a plus-4 rating in 60 games this season.
Monday night will be his first game in Philadelphia without Tortorella as his coach.
"I have so much respect for him," Hathaway said. "I think knowing Torts and being able to play for him for almost two years, I think I saw how much he cared, how invested he was and how much he cared for the guys in this room, how much he wanted to get the absolute most out of them.
"He had our backs. Multiple times I saw firsthand or to the media that he was the one that was always supporting us and he wouldn't let anyone go around and say something that wasn't true about us. Anyone who thinks he quit on this team is completely wrong. I never felt that way and I think it's a mistake to think that. I'm very grateful that I got to play for him."
In other health matters, Rasmus Ristolainen is not expected to play again this season, which seemed possible when the Flyers changed his status to week to week. The 30-year-old defenseman has an upper-body injury and last played March 11.
"I'm not 100 percent on what the timeline looks like," interim head coach Brad Shaw said, "but I can't imagine he would be playing in the next couple of weeks."