MacDonald is pointless in his last seven games. The defenseman is on pace for his worst year points-wise. He's marginally better on the road, so if you're desperate, the Flyers have six more games on this current road trip.

MacDonald picked up an assist and four PIM in Wednesday's shootout loss to the Ducks. It gives the blueliner an assist in both of his last two games, but the Flyers were probably hoping for more production from him at this point after inking MacDonald to a six-year, $30 million extension last April. Instead, he's provided the Flyers with just five points and a minus-6 rating over 14 games to date, and was previously playing so poorly that he had been a healthy scratch for a game last weekend against the Rangers.

MacDonald (lower body) has been activated from injured reserve and will play Thursday against the Wild. MacDonald missed the previous four weeks with the lower-body injury, sitting out a total of 10 games. He's been able to practice the last few days and shouldn't face any limitations in his return, which was conveniently timed after the team lost fellow defenseman Michael Del Zotto (lower body) to an injury a night earlier.

MacDonald (lower body) was on the ice for Wednesday's morning skate but won't play later in the evening against the Rangers, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. MacDonald resumed practicing Monday and is still in the process of regaining conditioning after missing the previous four weeks with the lower-body injury. He's officially considered questionable to play Thursday against the Wild, but the more realistic return date would seem Saturday's tilt with the Blue Jackets. Regardless of when he returns, MacDonald won't be able to play until the Flyers open a roster spot to accommodate his return from IR.

MacDonald (lower body) practiced with the team Monday, Tim Panaccio of CSN Philadelphia reports. MacDonald didn't take part in contact drills, so he'll almost certainly sit out Wednesday's game against the Rangers. Flyers GM Ron Hextall said Wednesday that MacDonald is expected to be activated on Oct. 21, so keep an eye out for another update around that time.

General manager Ron Hextall said MacDonald (lower body) would return from injured reserve in about 10 days, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. MacDonald was set to resume skating Tuesday, but the Flyers opted to shut him down the past two days since it wouldn't have helped him in the recovery process. It doesn't sound like it's a major setback for the blueliner, who remains on track to miss a total of about four weeks, as was initially projected.

Though he was initially expected to skate on his own prior to Tuesday's practice, MacDonald remained off the ice, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Coach Craig Berube dismissed any notion that a setback might have prevented MacDonald from taking the ice, so it looks like the team will simply wait another day or two before letting the blueliner resuming skating. He's just past the three-week mark of the four-week projected timetable he was given when he suffered the injury in late October.

MacDonald (lower body) will skate Tuesday, Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly reports This will not be the first time MacDonald has skated since suffering a lower body injury, but he will need to continue to practice like this before he will be able to return.

MacDonald (lower body) skated Thursday, but there is still no timetable for his return, Wayne Fish of The Bucks County Courier Times reports. MacDonald has reached the point in his recovery where he can take the ice, but he will still likely need another week or two to get back to 100 percent.

MacDonald (lower body) was placed on injured reserve prior to Thursday's game against the Kings. Though the Flyers chose to wait a few days before doing so, MacDonald ultimately landed on IR, as was expected when he was ruled out for four weeks last Friday. With Kimmo Timonen (blood clots) on the Flyers' non-roster injury list and Braydon Coburn (lower body) also on IR, the Flyers have already lost three of their projected top four blueliners to long-term injuries.