Flyers’ Noah Cates to return from broken foot, play first game since Nov. 25

Flyers coach John Tortorella has said that one sign of the team’s progression is his having to make difficult lineup decisions each night.

“This is the evolution of a team being better and having more people and I have to make some tough decisions,” Tortorella said last week after benching winger Bobby Brink in Minnesota.

Those decisions get even tougher now, as center Noah Cates returns from a broken foot Monday against the St. Louis Blues. Cates, 24, has not played since Nov. 25, when he injured his foot after blocking a shot against the New York Islanders. He has missed 22 games and returns right in the middle of his initial injury timeline of six to eight weeks.

“Obviously, it feels like a long couple months,” Cates told reporters in St. Louis. “I’m really happy to get back and to contribute to the guys and being back around them. It’s a great opportunity tonight and [I’m] really ready to go.”

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Cates was struggling offensively before his injury, although Tortorella noted he thought Cates’ best offensive game of the season was that game against the Islanders. He had one goal and four points in 21 games.

“He knows he needs to bring other things, he knows he needs to keep improving as a player in all facets, and I want him just to play tonight,” Tortorella said Monday. “He’s been out for a while, but I have full trust he’s going to be ready to go. And then we’ll work it from there.”

Cates added: “There were some other things that were kind of hurting me. A mental reset and to get that confidence back. There’s a good feeling in this room. I want to add to that and help contribute to this team.”

The young forward’s return is a welcome sight, regardless of his offensive numbers. Cates is an elite defensive forward and someone Tortorella has trusted against top opposing players.

“He’s very coachable and he’s so far ahead as far as that intangibles and the mental part of the game,” Tortorella said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him play.”

According to the Athletic, Cates skated on the team’s fourth line at Monday’s morning skate alongside Nic Deslauriers and Bobby Brink.

Though tough roster decisions for game might be coming, no one needs to come out of the lineup Monday, as center Sean Couturier will miss his second consecutive game with what general manager Danny Brière classified a “minor injury.” The specific nature of Couturier’s injury is unknown.

Couturier has been a revelation this season, returning to prime form after missing almost two full years due to multiple back surgeries. Couturier, 31, ranks third on the Flyers with 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists), while the former Selke Trophy winner has also been his old reliable self on the defensive side.

The Flyers are also without newcomer Jamie Drysdale, who will miss a second game after sitting out in Winnipeg because of illness. Drysdale, who has two points in two games since being acquired in a trade for Cutter Gauthier, is the latest Flyer to come down with a bug.

Marc Staal will also come out of the lineup as the Flyers revert to a traditional lineup after running with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in recent games.

The Flyers (23-14-6) look to complete a perfect 3-0-0 road trip following weekend wins over the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets. Tortorella said that he has liked how “we’ve handled ourselves” so far on the trip but that they now need to “finish it off.”

Monday’s game also represents the first time Kevin Hayes has played against his former team since his trade to St. Louis in June for a 2024 sixth-round pick.

Hayes spent four seasons with the Flyers, scoring 63 goals and posting 157 points in 253 games with the Orange and Black. A popular teammate in Philly, Hayes was the Flyers’ All-Star representative last season. But his ice time decreased as the season wore on under Tortorella, leading to what seemed to be an inevitable separation.

Hayes has 10 goals and 20 points this season for the Blues and has been one of the league’s top faceoff men (56%).

While Hayes was eventually traded to St. Louis, the Flyers initially were working on a bigger trade with the Blues that included defenseman Travis Sanheim. The deal fell through after Blues defenseman Torey Krug declined to waive his no-move clause.

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The would-be deal may go down as one of the best the Flyers didn’t make, as Sanheim has blossomed while assuming top-pair minutes.

In the first year of his eight-year, $50 million contract, Sanheim has four goals and 25 points and is averaging just under 25 minutes per game. He is on pace to smash his career high of 35 points from 2018-19 and has been a major force on one of the league’s top penalty kills.

Carter Hart (11-8-3, .911 SV%) gets the start in goal against the Blues. … While the focus will be on Hayes, Blues captain Brayden Schenn also will face off against his old team. … Kasperi Kapanen, son of former Flyers player and current scout Sami Kapanen, also plays for St. Louis.