Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren has updated the status of forward James van Riemsdyk, who broke his foot during Thursday’s 6-3 win over the Islanders.
Warning to Flyers fans — the news ain’t great.
Homgren said van Riemsdyk will undergo surgery on Mar. 6 to insert a plate into his left foot to help with the healing process. He’ll be out 4-6 weeks, a recovery period that will likely sideline him for the remainder of the regular season.
(Of note, van Riemsdyk’s surgery will be performed by Dr. Steve Raikin, the same doctor that oversaw Chris Pronger‘s broken right foot last season.)
This is the latest in what’s been a forgettable year — injury-wise — for the 22-year-old power forward. He’s missed 19 games (15 with a concussion) in what was supposed to be his breakout campaign after leading the Flyers in goals last postseason and signing a six-year, $25.5 million extension in August.
van Riemsdyk’s injury also throws a wrench into Philly’s forward rotation. He had been playing well on the “kid line” with Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek — it’s unclear who’ll replace him — and also drew the admiration of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov for blocking the shot that broke his foot, a slapper from Isles defenseman Milan Jurcina.
“You can see the guys like JVR sacrifice themselves, just put themselves in front of a 100 mile per hour puck, just don’t get the puck to the goal, it’s amazing,” Bryzgalov said. “It gives a boost to the team like ‘Hey, this guy battles, we’ve got to battle too.’”
