Philadelphia defenseman Nick Seeler, who has yet to play this season because of a nerve issue in his right leg, is expected to make his 2024-25 debut on Tuesday when the Flyers host the Washington Capitals.

Seeler, 31, injured his leg when he slid to block a pass during an Oct. 1 preseason game against the Boston Bruins. He said the “leg just kind of shut off for a while.”

“The numbness was the whole outside of my right leg and into my foot,” Seeler said at practice Monday, when he was paired on a line with Jamie Drysdale. “That took a week and a half, two weeks, to start feeling normal.

“And then we’ve just been working on stability, just those muscles, because you’re not able to use them necessarily properly when your foot and leg is numb,” he continued. “Just working on that stability, which progressed pretty well here in the last couple days.”

The Flyers returned defenseman Emil Andrae to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Monday, clearing a roster spot for Seeler to come off injured reserve.

Seeler recorded one goal, 12 assists, a plus-9 rating and 78 penalty minutes in 71 games last season, his third with the Flyers.

The Minnesota Wild selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Draft. Seeler has eight career goals, 34 assists, a plus-5 rating and 263 penalty minutes in 296 games with the Wild (2017-20), Chicago Blackhawks (2020) and Flyers (2021-present).

He signed a four-year contract extension in March with an average annual value of $2.7 million.

“(Seeler is) a good player,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “Just who he is, the emotion he brings, blocking shots and all that, but he’s a good player. I think a lot of people forget he plays against a lot of good people on the opposing teams. He’s a good partner for his other guy, because he bails a lot of people out. He’s a good player. I hope the day proceeds well and, hopefully, we can get him back in.”

–Field Level Media