Grossman eager to make an impact with Flyers

Nick Grossman lay down for his customary afternoon nap in Dallas Thursday afternoon, something long a part of his pregame routine. The Stars were set to take on the visiting Calgary Flames.

As he later got ready to head to the American Airlines Center, Grossman's phone started to ring. Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk was on the other line.

Some 18 hours later, Grossman was in South Jersey at the Flyers' practice facility, pulling on a sweater that featured an emblem other than the comfortable Stars logo for the first time in his 5 1/2-year career.

"It came out of the blue," Grossman said. "It was just a little bit shocking. I had mixed feelings at first, but once everything settled down, it got real exciting."

In a little more than a day's time, Grossman went from a Dallas team that has an outside chance of making the playoffs to a Flyers team that took a step closer toward closing the gap between themselves and the top seed in the Eastern Conference with him in the lineup.

The Flyers' brass can't make Ilya Bryzgalov play any better in net. But they can certainly acquire players to make it tougher to score in front of him.

Grossman does that. The first thing you notice about him is his 6-4, 227-pound frame. And a face filled with more scars than Frankenstein. For sure, Grossman looks more like Shrek than Brad Pitt - but that's a compliment. It tends to suggest he plays his game with a nastiness and snarl that's been big-time lacking in the Flyers' crease.

"He's a big defender," coach Peter Laviolette said. "You just look at him, the size of him, he's a big guy. I think he'll help out in a lot of areas in our own end. He makes a good first pass. Blocks shots. Penalty-killer. [He's] another guy who will help defend back there."

To make room for him in the lineup, the Flyers reassigned rookie Erik Gustafsson - who scored his first NHL goal Thursday against Buffalo - back to Adirondack. Grossman's fellow Swede, teammate Andreas Lilja, will likely sit out today against Pittsburgh as a healthy scratch.

Lilja remembered Grossman from his days in Detroit, when the Stars were a more-frequent opponent.

"He's a really steady, hard-hitting, shot-blocking defenseman," Lilja said. "We met a couple times when he played in Dallas. It's fun having him here. He's a good guy, so he'll fit in well for sure."

How long will it take for Grossman to settle in? The general thought is that defensemen - especially those less involved in the offensive end, such as Grossman - have an easier time being thrown into the mix than a forward. The normal defensive philosophies are the same.

Make no mistake: That is Grossman's philosophy. He has only three goals in 333 career games and none this season.

"I think it's a little bit of an adjustment for anybody," Laviolette said. "We do a little bit of different things in the neutral zone, in the offensive zone. I think it takes a little bit of time, but usually guys jump right in and figure it out."

Even on his ride over to the Skate Zone, Grossman already figured out that Philadelphia is a hockey town. That's just one of the big changes from Dallas, as he will begin his audition for a new contract today against Pittsburgh. Grossman's $1.65 million deal expires on July 1.

"It's a big hockey town; fans are real into it," Grossman said. "I'm taking everything day-to-day. I just got the news yesterday. But so far, it's been a great experience, with everything I've heard and the little things I've seen. It's been good so far."

Grossman said he wants to "bring some toughness" to the Flyers' lineup. Unlike other physical defensemen, Grossman prefers to play a clean style, which will automatically help the Flyers' penalty kill, which might not have to be out there as often. He plays the position right, using sound body position, rather than trying to compensate by grabbing onto opponents.

"My kind of play is a defensive defenseman," Grossman said. "You want to play physical and be a force. It's a fine line, from being too heavy and grabbing guys. You've got to move your feet and be consistent. I try to use my body out there to be physical. I want to be hard to play against."

Sestito out 6 to 8 weeks

The Flyers announced yesterday that forward Tom Sestito will miss at least 6 to 8 weeks with surgery to repair a torn groin muscle. The surgery will be performed on Tuesday.

Sestito, 24, appeared to have injured himself in a fight with Buffalo's Zack Kassian on Thursday night. He left the game grimacing, with what the Flyers called a "lower-body" injury. Turns out, a source said, Sestito has dealt with this injury for the better part of the season.

Sestito has played in only 14 games this season, but has racked up 83 minutes in penalties, mostly through fighting majors. Over the last few weeks, however, Peter Laviolette had chosen Sestito's size over someone with speed, such as Harry Zolnierczyk.

Sestito was acquired around this time last year - on Feb. 28 - in a minor deadline trade with Columbus in exchange for prospects Greg Moore and Michael Chaput.

Slap shots

James van Riemsdyk, who has missed the last 15 games with a concussion, said he would not rule out a return to the lineup against Pittsburgh. Van Riemsdyk has practiced consistently throughout the week. Officially, van Riemsdyk's "out indefinitely" status has not been updated by the team . . . The Flyers did not provide an update for Danny Briere, who left Thursday's game with an "upper-body" injury. Briere, who also missed time with a concussion earlier this month, practiced yesterday, but wore a gray, "non-contact" jersey. His status for today's game is unknown . . . Either Eric Wellwood would need to be reassigned to Adirondack or Briere would need to sit out to make room for van Riemsdyk's activation from the injured reserve . . . Andrej Meszaros appears ready to return today after sitting Thursday with an "upper-body" injury . . . Jaromir Jagr skated yesterday for the first time since coming down with the flu on Tuesday. He said, "Anybody who can walk, plays," after finishing a cup of hot tea in the players' lounge.

Quotable

"I brought in an inflatable globe. I want Ilya Bryzgalov to tell me all about the universe."

- One of 25 service members invited to the Flyers' locker room at practice yesterday, as part of the Burlington County (N.J.) Military Affairs Committee. Members of the Army, Air Force and Marines stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Wrightstown visited with the players and coaches, getting autographs and trading souvenirs.

Read Frequent Flyers, at www.philly.com/FrequentFlyers. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers.