As late as Tuesday evening, the diagnosis on Matt Read was that he was healing, but would likely need three more weeks to heal after sustaining torn rib cage muscles February 20th vs. Pittsburgh.
Read, though, was eager to return to the Flyers, who could use the young Forward's skills as they try to fight their way into playoff contention. Read lead the team with 13 points in 18 games before being sidelined.
When Read was hurt, the Flyers were struggling even more than they have been lately, and he had a comfortable lead in his counting stats. Since then, while their record hasn't changed much, the Flyers' players have turned things around offensively, so Read would be improving an already-potent Flyers offensive unit.
It remains to be seen how Read will be deployed in future games given his sudden return. The Flyers travel to Boston Saturday to play the Bruins, then return home Sunday to play the Buffalo Sabres, so it's not outside of the realm of possibility that Read could sit for one of those contests.
