Season ends before it started — Atkinson to have neck surgery, Flyers feel for him

VOORHEES, N.J. — Cam Atkinson pushed and pushed and pushed.

Eventually, he couldn't clear the final hurdle.

As a result, the 33-year-old winger will undergo season-ending neck surgery Wednesday in Philadelphia. He never appeared in a game this season.

The club expects Atkinson to fully recover.

"It hurts us," general manager Chuck Fletcher said Monday. "Cam was arguably our best forward last year, played really well.

"It's a tough situation for him. I feel for him. He tried hard for a few months to rehab — he worked with our people, he worked with a couple of people he's worked with before in Columbus that had helped him in the past. Even last week, we thought he'd might be able to play against the Rangers, but he just couldn't get over the hump.

"It became less of a focus about this year and more of a focus on let's get him right, let's get him healthy for himself so he can come back and play."

Atkinson's injury has been a perplexing and persistent one, stemming back to training camp. Any issues in the neck and back areas come with the danger of being up and down.

"He has spoken to various people through the process," Fletcher said. "When he spoke with this last doctor, I think the doctor kind of laid it out that you might be able to come back and play if you continue to rehab, but you've got to look at the bigger picture here in terms of nerve irritation in your arm, if you want to get back to 100 percent for the long term, you need to do this. I think that really resonated with Cam."

Atkinson didn't play in any of the Flyers' six preseason games but was able to practice throughout the majority of camp. Head coach John Tortorella had expressed optimism about Atkinson's status for the Oct. 13 regular-season opener in the days leading up to it.

But things clearly changed as Atkinson took a step back from the ice in October and went for further evaluation.

In late November, Atkinson appeared to take an important turn toward a return. He was cleared for contact and fervently got after it with Rasmus Ristolainen in his first full practice.

"Just day to day for me right now," Atkinson said Dec. 3 after an optional morning skate.

"It's been pretty good. A little bit of an adjustment, just working out the kinks. I'm getting close, but not enough to where I think I can help this team right now. But I'm closer than not."

The Flyers believe the injury was more of a wear-and-tear issue than one particular incident. After consultation with doctors, the decision for surgery eventually came down to Atkinson and his representation.

"He felt like he was coming, he was ready to go, he was even looking at a date [to return]," Tortorella said Monday. "And then he just has a bad day, it just would not get over the hump for him. And I can understand him trying to do everything he possibly could without getting opened up, especially in that area. It's easy to say he should have gotten it done and this and that. It's easy for outsiders to say that.

"Cam wanted to play, he's a great competitor, tried all different things with [head athletic trainer Tommy Alva], the whole group down there, and he just couldn't sustain it to where he could get over the hump. He felt really good and then it'd just drop off.

"This is what's been discussed with the professionals and they feel this is the best route. Cam has obliged them and he's going to get it done."

Joel Farabee underwent disc replacement surgery in his cervical region during late June. The 22-year-old winger has played in all 32 games this season.

"Similar area, but I think there are some differences," Fletcher said of Farabee's surgery in comparison to Atkinson's upcoming procedure. "We'll know more after surgery, let the surgeon get in there and then he'll give us an update."

Starting next season, Atkinson will have two years left on his seven-year, $41.125 million contract ($5.875 million cap hit) that he originally signed with the Blue Jackets. The Flyers traded for Atkinson during the 2021 summer in a deal that sent Jakub Voracek to Columbus. Atkinson has become one of the club's leaders. This season, he was expected to be an important buffer between his teammates and Tortorella given his experience with the head coach.

"Nobody wants to play more than Cam," Fletcher said. "Especially with John, I think he was really looking forward to that, helping the team, we're struggling a bit and he's a guy that plays power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5, good defensively — he impacts the game in so many different ways, so clearly a very important part of our team."

The Flyers entered Monday in a three-way tie for the NHL's second-fewest goals per game at 2.41. 

In 2021-22, Atkinson put up 23 goals and 50 points. Had he not missed the final nine games of the season because of an injury, he likely would have finished as the Flyers' leading point man and goal scorer.

The veteran winger scored a career-high 41 goals in 2018-19 with the Blue Jackets.

"Credit to him for all the hard work he put in to try to get back," Owen Tippett said Monday. "Any time you have to get surgery and miss a good chunk of time, it's not ideal and it sucks. But it's obviously a huge loss for our team. The amount of offense and leadership he brings, it could have gone a long way this year. Hopefully it's a quick recovery for him."

With the Flyers at 10-15-7 and handed another loss Monday, this season has become even more about next season.

For Atkinson, his outlook shifted completely to next season.

"I think we did a good job of protecting him from himself at times because he was antsy to go," Fletcher said, "but I think our group put together certain performance measures that he had to pass and get through in order to play. He just couldn't meet all of those.

"That's what makes Cam so successful is he's somebody that has overcome the odds, pushes through, competes and battles — he doesn't want to give in."

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