Flyers forward Nolan Patrick has been diagnosed with a migraine disorder and is listed as week-to-week, the team announced Thursday.
The 21-year-old will not join his teammates as they depart for Europe to play their final preseason game in Switzerland on Sept. 30 and the Flyers' season opener against the Blackhawks in Prague on Oct. 4.
Injury update: Forward Nolan Patrick is listed as week-to-week and will not be ready to start the season. pic.twitter.com/1DKnbO1o3q
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 26, 2019
Patrick has been sidelined all training camp with what was originally called an "upper-body injury," though he has skated on his own throughout the preseason.
The Flyers have reportedly been aware of the issue since the early summer and Patrick will take medication to try to mitigate the condition.
Per Chuck Fletcher, Nolan Patrick will take medication and they believe that will help. Patrick went to the team in June about the issue and they've been addressing it since.
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 26, 2019
According to the Association of Migraine Disorders, migraine sufferers generally "have a problem with a specific part of the nervous system, called the trigeminal nerve." That nerve is described as a "network of wiring" that attaches to sensors in facial skin, mucous membranes, muscles, tendons and teeth.
The 2017 second-overall pick missed some games last season with an upper-body injury after he blocked a shot with his head on March 3. Another upper-body injury kept him out of the team's final regular-season game in April.
Patrick scored 30 and 31 points in each of his first two NHL seasons, respectively. The Flyers will likely lean more heavily on centers Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes and Scott Laughton in his absence.