As the Flyers get set to take the ice after the holiday break, they will do so without one of their key blueliners.
GM Ron Hextall announced prior to Sunday's game against Anaheim that Michael Del Zotto will be sidelined day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Del Zotto, 25, leads the Flyers in time on ice per game, with 23:54 as well as 29.7 shifts per game. Sunday's game will be the first that he's missed all season. He has one goal and eight points through 34 games this year.
It's unclear exactly what may have caused Del Zotto's injury. The Flyers did not take the ice on Sunday for a morning skate, but did practice on Saturday.
It's also unclear if Del Zotto will be ready to go for the Flyers' next game on Wednesday against San Jose. Mark Streit is pegged to return to the lineup for that game, so it's not as if the Flyers will be short two slick-moving offensive defensemen.
For now, expect Brandon Manning to take Del Zotto's place in the lineup.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
