James van Riemsdyk to have surgery as Flyers injuries continue to mount

The hits just keep on coming as the Flyers are dealt another major blow to their lineup. James van Riemsdyk took a puck off the hand during the first period on Sunday and would not return. After an off day Monday, he was not on the ice for practice on Tuesday. John Tortorella would confirm that the veteran forward will be having surgery on Friday.

Tortorella wasn’t able to confirm out long he will be out, just that they would know more after his surgery. He was able to say that it was a broken finger for van Riemsdyk. Nonetheless, that is yet another injury that the Flyers will have to deal with.

"“I think he’s played really well from the start of the season. Hurts, hurts our power play. Hurts some of the balance of your lines. He’s been a good player, nothing we can do about it now.” Tortorella said after Tuesday’s practice."

There were some adjustments that had to be made to the lines with his absence. Joel Farabee was placed on the top line with Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny. Noah Cates is likely to make the switch back to the wing with Scott Laughton and potentially Owen Tippett. Nic Deslauriers was moved up to the third line with Morgan Frost and Wade Allison. That left Zac MacEwen with Tanner Laczynski and Lukas Sedlak.

The absence of van Riemsdyk also means that there will be some changes when it comes to the power play. It looks like Laughton could be the one to replace JVR on that unit. Laughton said it’ll be tough to replace him as he felt van Riemsdyk is one of the best in the league as the net-front presence. He hasn’t played on the power play much in his career, but he has watched what van Riemsdyk has done.

There will be some challenges for Laughton if he is moved into that spot as van Riemsdyk is a bigger guy. He stands at 6’3″ and comes in at 208 lbs. Laughton is 6’1″ and 190 lbs.

"“Probably more movement in my upper body I would say. He doesn’t have to move a ton because goalies have to look around him. A little bit more movement from me maybe and try and get off the crease a little bit more to open up down low plays just to try and bring something different and give them a different look.”"

There weren’t any changes to the backend just yet, though Rasmus Ristolainen appears to be making strides in returning to the lineup. He switched out on the third pairing with Egor Zamula. The other two pairings stayed intact. Ristolainen will likely need a few good days of practice before he returns. But it’s going to be a tough decision in determining who will sit once everyone is healthy.

"“I’m not sure what I’m gonna do there because I really don’t think any of the defensemen should be out. Do I rotate some guys? Do I play seven? I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna cross that bridge when I know I get a full health report on Risto after tomorrow’s practice.”"

Owen Tippett could return Thursday, things are still status quo with Cam Atkinson

Tippett is now in his first full season with the Flyers after the trade deadline deal last March. It was going to be a good opportunity to fully establish himself in the NHL. He played just 4:20 in the Flyers opening game of the season before taking a hit that has knocked him out since. He has been skating recently and took line rushes on Tuesday morning.

Tortorella had good things to say about Tippett’s camp and how they wanted to get him right into a top-six role to get him going. This also gives him, and the other younger players, a chance to prove themselves with more minutes. If everything goes well and Tippett is cleared to play, he’ll get that chance on the second line with Laughton.

"“Today, working on a line with him, it helps to have a guy like that pushing you along. There’s a lot of young guys and a lot of opportunities so I mean obviously every game and every shift is a chance to grab that.”"

Tippett was wearing a tinted visor during practice and was also in a no-contact jersey for the latter half of practice. It’s something you have to be patient with as any kind of symptoms or whatnot can appear at any time. Hence his use of the visor for the last week or so just to deal with the glare from the lights. He’ll see how things go in the next few days to see if that’s something he’ll continue wearing.

He also stayed away from saying that he had suffered a concussion on the play, but he did say that he has had them in the past. Regardless of what he may have suffered on said play, he has felt better each and every day since. They’ll make the call after practice and final testing on Wednesday to see if he is good to go for Thursday’s game.

The Flyers could use some good injury news as things haven’t been going well to start the season. Cam Atkinson hasn’t played a game this season and also didn’t appear in a single preseason game as well. Things have been pretty quiet on his status ever since.

It doesn’t appear to be anything that will keep him out long-term, unlike Ryan Ellis last season. It’s more about him feeling comfortable enough to come back. Once that moment happens, it should be full steam ahead for Atkinson.

"“I just think it’s a matter of him feeling comfortable enough to get on. He’s as frustrated as anybody…I just don’t see it going down that road. I don’t know what else to say on it. I’m going to leave it up to him. The guy wants to play.”"

Adding Atkinson back in will certainly help a team that is looking younger and younger by the day. While it gives those players more time to become established, it is also evident that they are a very young team looking to find their footing. There are some players who can finish and those that cannot. And the Flyers need more players like Atkinson who can.