Flyers will eye Gagne, van Riemsdyk vs. Wings

The Flyers will be watching Simon Gagne's health and James van Riemsdyk's progress when they host the Detroit Red Wings tonight at the Wachovia Center.

Gagne, recovering from off-season hip surgery and a groin injury, will be making his first preseason appearance, and the 6-foot-3, 205-pound van Riemsdyk - who survived yesterday's massive roster cuts - will continue his quest for a roster spot.

"He's a big kid. He reminds me of John LeClair; maybe with a little more speed than Johnny, but he's strong around the net," Gagne said. "You know that's going to be his place when he gets his confidence."

Van Riemsdyk, who has a goal and an assist and is minus-4 in the Flyers' three preseason games, called it "pretty flattering" to be compared to LeClair, a former Flyer who scored 406 goals.

"He's gotten better every game," general manager Paul Holmgren said.

Coach John Stevens also likes what he has seen from van Riemsdyk.

"That was a hard game in Toronto the other day. It was a physical game," Stevens said yesterday of the Flyers' 5-4 overtime loss Saturday. "I was impressed with the way he battled through and was really competitive. We said in the beginning we wanted to see how competitive he could be, and I was impressed."

"He creates opportunities because he has really good timing getting to holes."

Holmgren said that if van Riemsdyk looks like he can play on one of the top three lines, he will likely remain with the team. "If it doesn't look like he can maintain that, I have no problem letting him go down to the [AHL] Phantoms and playing 20 minutes a game down there," the GM said.

As for Gagne, he is eager to play in his first preseason game.

"It will be a big test, but I'm confident that the way I feel on the ice now, I'm going to be fine," he said.

Gagne, who scored 34 goals last season, will have four preseason contests to regain his timing and get in game shape. He said he expects to be huffing and puffing in tonight's return.

"I'm going to feel lost a little bit out there, I know that," he said. "It's been like that the last 10 years; the first game is the toughest."

In yesterday's practice, Gagne was playing right wing on a line with center Mike Richards and van Riemsdyk. Stevens, whose team is 0-2-1 and has averaged 48 penalty minutes per preseason game, said he was unsure if the line would remain intact tonight.

The Flyers will also take closer looks at Lukas Kaspar, Mika Pyorala and Patrick Maroon, three wingers still vying for a spot. Maroon has been injured and has yet to play a preseason game.

Ray Emery, who has a 3.43 goals-against average and 89.2 save percentage, will play the entire game tonight, Stevens said.

Roster trims. Left winger Mark Bell, an NHL veteran, was released. He was in camp on a tryout contract.

Bell had said he would not accept a two-way contract. That ruled out sending him to the AHL Adirondack Phantoms.

It appears former Ranger Blair Betts will land a spot on the Flyers' roster as the fourth-line center.

The Flyers trimmed their roster from 58 to 29 by sending 19 players to the Phantoms, returning eight players to their junior teams, and releasing two players.

Jon Kalinski, Jared Ross, and Andreas Nodl, three players who spent some time with the Flyers last year, were among the forwards sent to the Phantoms.

The Flyers have 18 forwards, eight defensemen, and three goalies left in camp. They will likely carry 22 players on their roster when the season starts Oct. 2.

Defenseman Tyler Hostetter, a Lititz, Pa., native who was in camp trying out, was among the players returned to their junior teams. But the 5-11, 182-pound Hostetter, 19, went back to Erie (Ontario Hockey League) with a three-year entry-level contract from the Flyers.