PHILADELPHIA, March 13 (UPI) -- Philadelphia Flyers left wing John LeClair returned to the roster Thursday after missing 47 games following right shoulder surgery.
LeClair had not played since Nov. 27, when he dislocated the shoulder in a 7-2 loss at Pittsburgh. He underwent surgery eight days later to repair torn cartilage and was expected to miss up to three months.
The Flyers were 25-13-5-4 without LeClair, but his return could not have come at a better time. Philadelphia has scored just three goals during a three-game losing streak and is four points behind first-place New Jersey in the Atlantic Division.
On Monday, the Flyers traded left wing Guillaume Lefebvre and two draft picks to the Phoenix Coyotes for right wing Tony Amonte, who played with LeClair on the U.S. team at last year's Salt Lake City Olympics.
When healthy, the 33-year-old LeClair is a premier power forward. The only player in team history with five straight 40-goal seasons, he topped the 50-goal mark each season from 1995-96 to 1997-98.
In 21 games this season, LeClair has 11 goals and six assists. He's still tied for third on the team with three game-winning goals.
