The only thing Oskar Lindblom is thinking about right now is trying to help the San Jose Sharks win hockey games. Cancer isn’t even on his radar.
“I go every fourth month,” for a scan, Lindblom said last week. “It’s a regular thing. Nothing that I really think about.”
In December 2019, Lindblom, then 23 and an up-and-coming forward for the Philadelphia Flyers, was enjoying a career season with 18 points in 30 games when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. He began treatment immediately and was sidelined for the rest of the regular season.
In July 2020, he completed his radiation treatments and returned to the Flyers’ lineup by early September, dressing for two games in the postseason bubble in Toronto.
Lindblom, who turned 26 in August, returns to Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center for the first time Sunday since he became a free agent this summer as the Sharks play the Flyers to complete a four-game road trip.
“It’s going to be fun to go back,” said Lindblom, a fifth-round draft pick by Philadelphia in 2014.
Lindblom played 263 regular season games with the Flyers over five seasons, including 129 games over the last two years. Lindblom, though, had the final year of his three-year, $9 million contract bought out by the organization on July 2.
Since Lindblom was under 26 at the time, the Flyers only had to retain one-third of the $4 million in salary they owed him from the original contract.
As part of their decision to part ways with a player who overcame Ewing’s sarcoma to create salary cap space, the Flyers donated $100,000 in Lindblom’s name to a Philadelphia organization that supports families who have been impacted by cancer.
Lindblom said general manager Chuck Fletcher’s decision to buy out the final year of his deal was a bit of a surprise.
“That was kind of a fast process, so those things happen. It is a business so I can’t really be mad about it,” Lindblom said. “But of course it was different. You’re not used to that type of stuff. But I’m happy to be here and I’m really excited about this season.
“I really want to prove to myself that I can be the Oskar Lindblom that I was.”
Lindblom signed a two-year, $5 million deal with the Sharks on July 13.
After a slow start to the year, Lindblom, in a depth forward role, has an assist in each of his last two games and three assists on the year. That, remarkably, places him in a tie for second on the Sharks in points, as San Jose has started the year with a 1-6-0 record.
Lindblom, who missed time in training camp with an upper-body injury, is still without a goal this season but he had 17 in 2018-19 and was on pace for over 20 the following year when he got his cancer diagnosis. He feels he can he back to that level of production.
“I feel way better this year, I feel lighter so I can skate more,” Lindblom said. “So now I just need to get to those areas where I can score. I think I’ve been a little too much on the outside and I’m not going to score from there. So be a little more greasy and win my battles on the boards.”
The Sharks need all of the offense they can get as they’ve scored just 12 goals for the season, including just nine during 5-on-5 play.
“I definitely think he can get back to that (pre-diagnosis) level,” Sharks coach David Quinn said last week. “He’s a guy that plays an honest game and he’s got some offensive ability. I think as we continue to move forward, you’re going to see more and more of the offensive side of his game. He’s certainly going to be able to help us.”
