Flyers Notes: Concussion sidelines James van Riemsdyk
“It’s really unfortunate. I thought we’ve had some good chemistry,” Simmonds said. “We’ve been playing well the last couple weeks.”
Read, who entered the night with 13 goals, had recently been on the fourth line.
“Reader is a great player, obviously,” Simmonds said. “He’s done wonders for us this year. It’s fun to play with him. He’s great with the puck and he makes those little plays that get guys open. I think we’ll be fine.”
In a statement, general manager Paul Holmgren said van Riemsdyk was hit in the head in each of the last two games. But three Flyers noted van Riemsdyk was also hit in the head by Ottawa’s Bobby Butler four games ago and was dazed. Butler and JVR were college teammates at New Hampshire.
Butler elbowed van Riemsdyk but did not get a penalty, and Ottawa TV announcer Denis Potvin said the Flyers’ winger was “acting” and that he had “embellished” the hit.
Chris Pronger, Schenn, Read, and Claude Giroux also have missed time this season with concussions.
Van Riemsdyk who has been the subject of recent trade rumors, has 11 goals and 11 assists in 37 games. There is no timetable for his return.
“It’s unfortunate it happened,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “I actually liked the way he was moving on that line.”
With JVR out, Zac Rinaldo returned to the lineup and was on a line with Sean Couturier and Harry Zolnierczyk. Rinaldo “brings his energy” to the lineup, Laviolette said.
Gus returns
Prior to Saturday night, the last time Erik Gustafsson was on the ice for the Flyers was on Nov. 5, when he became the franchise’s first rookie to notch a plus-6 rating in a game since 1984.
In that same game, a 9-2 rout of Columbus, Gutsafsson jammed his left wrist, and surgery was performed to repair the sheathing that covers the tendon.
On Saturday, more than two months after the injury, Gustafsson returned to the lineup in Nashville.
“I’m ready to go,” Gustafsson said before the game. “I played five games with the Phantoms, and I got a couple of hits and battles, and the wrist held up.”
Gustafsson, a stocky 5-foot-10, 185-pounder who has been compared to a young Kimmo Timonen, replaced Andreas Lilja in Saturday’s lineup. He began the game paired with Andrej Meszaros.
“It was a long two months when I was off,” Gustafsson said, adding it took him a few games with the Phantoms to regain his timing and his positioning. “But the last couple games I thought I played pretty well, I got into it again, and I’m working hard and getting right back at it.”
Gustafsson’s development could determine whether the Flyers make a deal before the Feb. 27 trade deadline. If he shows rapid progress, the Flyers may not think a deal is necessary.
Nashville’s Ryan Suter ($3.5 million cap hit) and Shea Weber ($7.5 million), Toronto’s Luke Schenn ($3.6 million), and Carolina’s Bryan Allen ($2.9 million) and Tim Gleason ($2.75 million) are among the defensemen on the Flyers’ radar.
Breakaways
Pronger released a statement through the team: “It is very, very tough right now. I don’t feel well, and it hurts so much not to be playing,” he said. . . . Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov started after sitting out two straight games.