Due to space, he is not dressing with the Flyers in their locker room except on game nights.
"It's one thing that's kept me honest and humbled," Read said. "It's a long walk to get on the ice. I take it as a message that I'm not ready to be down there yet, that I need to work hard still to prove myself."
Laviolette has given Read nearly every test possible in the preseason - and seemingly there has not been one that he hasn't passed with flying colors. He has played the power play, the point on the power play, the penalty kill, and has been tried on multiple lines in all three forward positions with multiple linemates.
"It's been mind-boggling," Read said. "My pregame ritual has changed a lot, I never know what position I'm going to play. In my mind, I try to go through every situation I will be in. You need to think a lot more."
He also has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game in order to test his conditioning and stamina.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said Read's hockey sense reminds him of Claude Giroux.
"He has been one of the smartest players on the ice," Holmgren said. "Matt Read has been more than tremendous."
For that, Holmgren credits his scouting staff for not only identifying Read in college but having the creativity and tools to lure him with a guaranteed $3.35 million contract.
Read, 25, was one of the most sought-after undrafted free agents last spring when the Flyers scooped him up out of Bemidji State University in Minnesota by offering a one-way contract.
Whether he counts against the salary cap on the Flyers' roster or plays with the Phantoms, Read will earn $1.075 million this season. On the cap, Read could count for $900,000.
After an impressive preseason and AHL debut last spring in which Read netted 13 points in 11 games with the Phantoms, it has been tough to separate realistic expectations and overblown hyperbole.
After all, Finnish free agent Mika Pyorala impressed in the 2009 preseason with four points in six games. Pyorala went on to score just four points in 36 regular-season games before being jettisoned once John Stevens was fired and Laviolette was hired. It's easy to be a preseason star.
The truth is that advanced metrics predict, based on his transition from the NCAA using an NHL equivalency formula called NHLE, that Read can realistically expect to total 32 points over the 82-game regular season.
Would the Flyers be happy with that? Considering that third-liner Andreas Nodl posted 22 points in 67 games last season, the Flyers certainly would take the upgrade - and might even end up trading roster spot for roster spot, especially if Nodl is not healthy to start the season. Both players seem to be on par with their defensive-zone play. Read is the more complete player.
For starters, Read would just be happy with a stall in the Flyers' locker room. The rest can work itself out.
"Emotions are running high," Read said. "You've got to just keep it on an even keel. By the end of the week, they'll have the final roster, you've just got to hope that you're on it and you can move down the hall."
Injury updates
With Opening Night just 8 days away, the Flyers' injury list has gotten long in a hurry.
Paul Holmgren revealed on Monday that forwards James van Riemsdyk and Andreas Nodl are suffering from lower-body injuries, which kept them off the ice at practice yesterday. Holmgren said van Riemsdyk is unlikely to play again before next Thursday in Boston. Nodl could play Saturday's preseason game in New Jersey.
Brayden Schenn, on the other hand, remained off the ice with an upper-body injury that is not believed to be serious.
The Flyers did receive some good news as Scott Hartnell has been cleared to return to on-ice activities after a stress test under cardiologist supervision revealed no problems in his heart. Hartnell had an elevated heart rate last Friday night in Detroit.
Sestito waived
The Flyers waived forward Tom Sestito hours after his boarding major against the Rangers caught the attention of the NHL's new dean of discipline, Brendan Shanahan. Paul Holmgren said the Flyers had planned to waive Sestito to the AHL before Monday's game. Sestito's hearing with Shanahan could take place today.
For more news and analysis,
read Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at
www.philly.com/FrequentFlyers. Follow him on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/DNFlyers.
