James van Riemsdyk out 5-6 weeks with lower-body injury

The Philadelphia Flyers will be without their big free-agent signing, forward James van Riemsdyk, for five to six weeks because of a lower-body injury.

The 29-year-old went down when he was hit near his right knee on a first-period clearing attempt against the Avalanche on Saturday.

"He's a big part of our team, a big body in our lineup," center Sean Couturier said after the game, according to Philly.com. "He's a guy we want to see in our lineup."

The Flyers signed van Riemsdyk this offseason to a five-year, $35 million contract after he had a 36-goal campaign for the Maple Leafs. He has one assist in two games for the Flyers so far.