Andreas Lilja began on-ice rehab with the Adirondack Phantoms Monday morning on his surgically repaired hip.
He joined the Phantoms during their morning practice at the Glens Falls Civic Center, according to the Post-Star and the Saratogian, allowed to do so only because he was injured before the NHL imposed a now 76-day long lockout on its players. Lilja won’t play in any games with the Phantoms and he’ll only be there through Wednesday.
According to The Rules, Lilja will be locked out like every other player until he’s cleared by team doctors. He still gets a paycheck from the Flyers until he’s cleared. Lilja has rehabbed a bit at Skate Zone since his August surgery.
Lilja was expected to miss the first few months of the season this year following the surgery and a December return was expected, so he’s just about right on schedule here with his rehab. Of course, he hasn’t exactly missed much in terms of games.
Even though the team is lacking on defense heading into the new season, they’re plentiful when it comes to sixth and seventh defensemen. Lilja and offseason acquisition Bruno Gervais are expected to battle at the bottom for those spots, while Erik Gustafsson and Marc-Andre Bourdon will fill in somewhere around there on the depth chart as well.
