Rinaldo out; Luke Schenn, too?

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