DENVER - The news on Ryan Parent is exactly what was expected - he'll be out up to 10 weeks, after shoulder surgery yesterday.
The news on fellow defenseman Randy Jones was a pleasant surprise - instead of the 12 to 16 weeks of recovery from extensive right hip surgery yesterday, Jones might beat Parent back into the lineup.
"The doctor got in there and what they thought was a boney issue in the joint apparently wasn't,'' general manager Paul Holmgren said last night.
What that means is that Jones did not have to have part of his hip shaved and will not take as long to recover as originally thought.
"It's really good news,'' Holmgren said.
Both players had surgery to repair injuries that have thrown the Flyers' early defensive plans into chaos. Parent suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder in a preseason game; Jones had a number of problems, including torn ligaments and cartilage and a torn labrum in his hip.
The loss forced the Flyers to trade for Andrew Alberts to shore up their blue line and to keep 18-year-old Luca Sbisa instead of sending him back to juniors.
It is doubtful that the news on Jones will change the thinking on Sbisa, who should remain with the team for the season.
The timing for Parent's return will depend on his response to rehab.
"This is the same surgery some of our guys have had and we have had some guys come back in 9 weeks and some guys have taken 10,'' Holmgren said. *
