Less than one year after Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, he's set to make his return to the ice. The 24-year-old is available to play in Philly's Game 6 do-or-die matchup against the New York Islanders on Thursday.
Lindblom was officially diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma back in December, and was expected to miss the remainder of the 2019-20 season at the time of the announcement. After undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments, he's back in the Flyers' lineup to help try and force a Game 7.
He’s in.
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 3, 2020
Welcome back, @oskarlindblom. pic.twitter.com/SeMbnLKzur
Immediately after his diagnosis, the franchise and his teammates rallied around the young winger with the message of #OskarStrong -- his teammates wore shirts donning the phrase prior to games. Lindblom finished up his final rounds of chemo treatment in July, when he was allowed to ring a ceremonial bell the hospital he was in had to celebrate the milestone.
Just a couple of weeks removed from completing treatment, the Flyers signed him to a three-year contract extension with an annual salary of $3 million. At the time the contract was signed, Philly general manager Chuck Fletcher wouldn't rule out Lindblom making an appearance in the postseason that the coronavirus pandemic delayed by a few months.
"I don't know what's out of the question. I wouldn't put any limits on Oskar," he said at the time. "We obviously will do whatever we can to protect him, but he's looking forward to restarting his life and his career. Whatever that means, we'll find out. We'll work very closely with his medical team and our medical team and make the right decisions for him."
If the Flyers followed through on that statement, then Philadelphia has determined that the best time for Lindblom to continue his career as a professional hockey player is during a pivotal playoff game, which speaks to the trust the organization has in the 24-year-old.
