Positive news for Coburn

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said on Friday the team received positive injury news from team doctors regarding defenseman Braydon Coburn.

Hextall now believes Coburn will miss a period of "days" rather than "weeks or months" with his lower-body injury. He is "optimistic" Coburn will be ready to play perhaps as early as in Dallas next Saturday.

"We've gotten better news than we had (Thursday)," Hextall said. "But until Monday, we won't be able to be definitive. But I'm hoping short-term now as opposed to mid-term. Hopefully now it's less than (weeks)."

Coburn will visit a specialist on Monday, where the Flyers will receive more information. Coburn, 29, was seen on crutches during the Flyers' opening night ceremonies on Thursday. All signs point toward a knee injury for Coburn. The Flyers will say nothing more than "lower-body injury."

Interestingly, Hextall would not rule out making some sort of move on defense - since it's abundantly clear the Flyers could use one. 

"We're going to be patient here at least until Monday," Hextall said. "But you've still got to look at your options and kind of prepare for tomorrow and a couple weeks from now. We'll continue to look at see what the options are."

NOEBELS SUSPENDED: The Flyers have suspended minor league forward and 4th round pick Marcel Noebels. The German-born winger was assigned to the ECHL's Reading Royals after not making the cut in Lehigh Valley. He reported to the team but then left town, according to Hextall.

As such, the Flyers have placed Noebels on "unconditional waivers" with the intention of terminating his contract. Noebels, 22, was the 118th overall pick in 2011. He spent last season with the Phantoms, posting 11 points in 52 games. He was much more promising in 2012-13 with 23 points in 43 AHL contests after showing himself as a point-per-game player in the ECHL.

If the Flyers are able to terminate Noebels' deal, it would open up an important contract space. With Noebels, the Flyers were at the NHL's 50-contract limit. 

For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @frank_seravalli