Posted: Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 12:58 PM | 28 comments |
 

Rinaldo out; Luke Schenn, too?
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After Zac Rinaldo left practice early on Monday when he sustained a blow to the head, the Flyers thought it was something that wouldn't keep him out of Tuesday's game against Minnesota.

Turns out, that isn't the case.

Rinaldo will miss tonight's contest against the Wild with what the Flyers are calling an upper-body injury.

That means Jody Shelley, who hasn't played since Dec. 23 in New York, will be back in the lineup since James van Riemsdyk remains out indefinitely with a concussion.

"Jody has had a tremendous work ethic," coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's remained very positive in waiting for an opportunity to get back into the lineup."

Shelley, 35, has played just 14 games since sitting out the first 5 games of the season with a suspension. He has fought once, when he took on Boston's Zdeno Chara on Dec. 17 in a 6-0 loss.

Rinaldo, just 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, is tied for 4th in the NHL with 10 fighting majors this season

SCHENN OUT? Luke Schenn's name swirled in trade rumors last week, including a few that had him heading for Philadelphia, since the Flyers and Leafs did entertain trade talks together.

Now, it appears that Schenn - who signed a 5-year, $18 million deal in September - will be a healthy scratch tonight in Toronto in the Battle of Ontario against Ottawa.

According to multiple reports, the Maple Leafs defenseman was one of the last ones off the ice, along with Keith Aulie and Carl Gunarsson, who both said they believed they were playing.

"I honestly don't know," Schenn told reporters.

Leafs coach Ron Wilson would not reveal his lineup when asked after the morning skate. Schenn has spent much of this season in Wilson's doghouse, watching his numbers drop from 22:30 last season to just over 16 minutes per game this year.

Schenn, 22, is the older brother of Flyers forward Brayden Schenn. He was last a healthy scratch on Nov. 5, 2011, nearly a full 2 seasons after his last benching on Dec. 9, 2009.

What impact Schenn's latest sit-down has, if any, on the trade rumors remains to be seen.

For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
Posted by Frank Seravalli @ 12:58 PM  Permalink | 28 comments
28
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:12 PM, 01/17/2012
    Shelley is a waste. The Flyers definitely need to get bigger and stronger to compete with the Rangers and especially the Bruins but i'd rather see Sestito in there. At least he can skate and is an effective fighter.
    — guyguy4
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:40 PM, 01/17/2012
    Sestito is an effective fighter? Since when? Maybe if he fights smaller guys. Shelley can pound Sestito for god's sake.Shelley AND Sestito are a waste!
    — twpman
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:12 PM, 01/17/2012
    Even thinking about trading JVR for L. Schenn is mere stupidity. Give JVR time to heal his various ailments and he will have another great postseason.
    — flyerdommo
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:26 PM, 01/17/2012
    JVR has been a disappointment, not a bust, but certainly not untouchable if the right offer comes along either.
    — doctorlivingstone
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:53 PM, 01/17/2012
    Shelley for a bag of pucks (used pucks are fine) and 6 rolls of tape to be named later.
    — stefek23
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:55 PM, 01/17/2012
    Actually, from what I have read, Luke has a tremendous upside to his game. The Flyers already have plenty of scoring, and this probably would be a great trade if it can be pulled off, considering JVR has a concussion.
    — mrjarn
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:56 PM, 01/17/2012
    Thank you flyerdommo!!!!!! Trading JVR for all of you impatient Flyers fans would be a huge mistake.
    — jamarder
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:56 PM, 01/17/2012
    JVR has put up ok numbers not the kind of number you would think at his cost to the cap. Agqain hisstill very young and has shown promise we need to keep him as he will only get better! Luke Schenn.... maybe a good fit maybe not but if we could get a WEBER or Suter would just about trade anyone to get it done. As in JVR, Harry Z and say Leaky from Phantoms and a draft pick or two both would be great on our team. We will all wait and see what happens at the trade deadline or maybe a little before that.
    — srcdaddy1216
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:10 PM, 01/17/2012
    JVR should not be moved. I would move Schenn an unproven talent before I moved JVR who was DOMINANT in two consecutive playoff series less than 1 year ago. I also really, really like Voracek and Couterier, throw in Giroux and those are my untouchables. I don't think our D has been as horrible as the media is portraying. We can win the Cup with this team as constituted. The goalie has hurt the D with some real softies. The same D plays in front of Bob and since he hasn't let in as many softies, they tend to win his games. And Kimo needs to sit once in a while, forget the iron man BS and have a seat (maintenance day) once in a while. It will pay off in April and May to have our best D-man fresh at the end rather than battered and broken (but streak intact).
    — Nichols1088
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:11 PM, 01/17/2012
    And if JVR played with G and Jagr all year he would have 20+ goals. You really think that trading a guy who 40 games ago (in the playoffs) was your best player for a healthy scratch is a strong move?
    — FABER
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:19 PM, 01/17/2012
    stefek23 - "used pucks are fine". I like it! Good one. You are soooo right.
    — Flimbis
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:32 PM, 01/17/2012
    hopefully that little punk rinaldo can be out forever. he makes it hard for me to route for the flyers.
    — Ryan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:41 PM, 01/17/2012
    you must really hate physical hockey...
    — gpants
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:44 PM, 01/17/2012
    I guess missed in all this was Bob Mckenzie's report that said Luke Schenn is playing tonight...for The Leafs
    — debbyt
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:03 PM, 01/17/2012
    A great work ethic for a guy who stinks means he still stinks. The only thing Shelley does good is hit the other guy in the hands with his face!
    — younged


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About Frank Seravalli
Frank Seravalli is in his fourth year with the Daily News and third season covering the Flyers. He started at the Daily News as an intern writing about the boozing legends of the Lincoln Financial Field lots and hasn't left. Since joining the Flyers beat, he has covered everything from the Winter Classic to the Stanley Cup Final and everything in between. Prior to joining the Daily News, the Bucks County native did a large amount of freelance work for local media outlets, covering high schools, colleges and all four of Philly's major sports teams. He resides in Center City. E-mail Frank at seravaf@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter @DNFlyers.

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