(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor 
VOORHEES, N.J. — As the Flyers take the ice this weekend for a pair of tough matchups in Boston and Washington, a familiar face will the lineup.
Mark Streit is set to return to game action, after missing the past month with a shoulder injury. He had been practicing over the past several weeks, and was out a total of 13 games.
"I felt good at practice," Streit said. "I'm just glad to be back…I just want to keep it simple out there and help the team."
The move did come at a price to another player, though. In order to fit back under the salary cap, the Flyers on Friday placed Boyd Gordon on waivers. Gordon played in just five games since Dec. 10, and in the 13 games he's played this season, he potted one goal.
"It's not a move that we necessarily wanted to make, but we had to make it," GM Ron Hextall said. "We felt that was the best option, bottom line.
"I like what Boyd's done. He's a good player and a good person, and he works his butt off. It's the best move for the hockey club right now."
Gordon's salary counted for $950,000 against the salary cap. While Hextall did not confirm that another move was incoming, he expressed a need to stay flexible under the cap.
"We're still tight up against it," Hextall said. "I'm not loving where we're at, I like having some flexibility. I don't anticipate another move."
Where Streit fits into the lineup, though, is another question in and of itself. He was practicing alongside Radko Gudas, who also did not play in Thursday's 5-4 shootout win over Vancouver. The remaining defensive pairings were left intact, so a shuffle will come this weekend to accommodate his return.
Coach Dave Hakstol didn't establish a need to limit Streit's minutes at all this weekend, and hasn't committed to any lineup changes yet. He'll still figure that out as the Flyers head north.
"When a player comes back in…I think you just have to look for strong, basic play. That's where we start it, and then read the game from there," Hakstol said. "It's usually a little bit different with each individual and every different case.
"With Mark, it's no different. He's a great veteran, and we'll gauge it and go from there."
Should Gordon clear waivers, he'll report to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He originally signed with the Orange and Black to provide some fourth-line relief as well as help Claude Giroux out on the penalty kill, but steady centering from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and strong play from Roman Lyubimov essentially helped make his role redundant.
Nonetheless, having Streit back in the fold will certainly help the Flyers out, as they look to head into the bye week with a pair of strong efforts.
