James van Riemsdyk to miss time with a broken finger

James van Riemsdyk left the Sunday night game against the San Jose Sharks after blocking a shot. The 33-year-old veteran has managed to stay healthy for most of his career. He has played over 90% of his team’s games in nine of his 13 seasons in the NHL.

Van Riemsdyk was having a good start to the 2022-23 season, scoring five points in the first six games, one of which he only played three minutes in due to the aforementioned injury. Analytically, JVR has been on a roll this year, leading the Flyers in expected goals with 2.6. He is currently tied for third on the team in points behind Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny.

The Flyers have undergone some big changes in the offseason, most importantly the hire of John Tortorella as the new head coach. The always-colourful Tortorella is attempting to get the team back in the winning column after a forgettable season under previous head coach Alain Vigneault.

So far, whatever Tortorella’s been doing has been working. The team got off to a 4-2-0 start and currently ranks third in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers’ success this year has been largely due to the incredible goaltending of 24-year-old Carter Hart. He is on a four-game winning streak to begin the season.

The Flyers’ offence has taken a big hit and this injury presents a challenge for them to keep up their hot start. Van Riemsdyk is in the final season of a contract that pays him $7 million annually. He is likely to be on the trading block at the trade deadline this year. A good season for him will make him a more desirable asset for contending teams.