Anthony Richard is making the most of his chance with the Flyers: ‘He’s a guy that you call up that can bring you offense’

Anthony Richard was golfing last week when he got the call telling him he was being called up by the Flyers.

It was the type of call Richard had received many times before as a nearly 28-year-old AHL journeyman with brief NHL stops in Nashville, Montreal, and Boston. But after signing a two-year, two-way deal with the Flyers this July and impressing coach John Tortorella in training camp, this time it felt a little different.

“I was not nervous at all,” Richard said. “The previous years, when I get the call, you’re a little anxious to see where you’re going to fit in and how things are going to go. But since I’ve been here the last week, I’ve really felt comfortable.”

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The 5-foot-10 speedster has been a point-per-game producer at the AHL level over the past two seasons, and he continued that pace as a member with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, tallying nine points (four goals, five assists) in his first seven games.

So far, Richard has been able to translate his offense to the next level with the Flyers, making an immediate impact on the score sheet over a small sample size of three games. He has recorded a goal and an assist, including setting up Erik Johnson off the rush Monday against San Jose.

“He’s a guy that you call up that can bring you offense,” Tortorella said. “Sometimes that’s hard to do. Sometimes with call-ups, usually those call-ups are guys that are offensive down there [in the AHL] and making offensive plays down there, just not been able to take the next step here. ... I think Richie can step right in and you can put him in an offensive role.”

Richard’s speed has helped inject some energy into a lineup that has been trying to reclaim its identity as a team that thrives in transition.

“The past two or three games, I think we’re up in the double digits on rush chances,” Tortorella said. “I know we’re playing the right way when we get some rush chances. We’re playing faster. We’re causing turnovers in the neutral zone, not spending as much time in our end zone.”

In addition to his offensive contributions, Richard said he’s also been proud of the way he’s handled himself defensively. Against the Sharks, Richard skated on a line with Ryan Poehling and Matvei Michkov. He said his line was able to take more risks offensively, with the knowledge that they could fall back on both his and Poehling’s speed to get out of trouble.

The key has been trying not to overthink.

“I’m a little bit older, and that’s kind of the thing that you learn when you get more call-ups,” he said. “When you’re younger, you try to do too much, but just take it shift by shift, and don’t put your team out of position and just try to play your game.”

With defenseman Cam York (upper body) nearing a return from the injured list, Richard’s time with the team could be limited. But he is taking the opportunities as he gets them.

“It’s nice coming into a new team and fitting in right away,” he said.

Defenseman Travis Sanheim did not practice with the team Wednesday, taking a maintenance day after playing over 30 minutes in the Flyers’ last two games. Tortorella said he will be ready to go Thursday against the Senators. ... York skated in a full-contact jersey at Wednesday’s practice and will travel with the team on its one-game trip to Ottawa. Tortorella said he had “no idea” if York would be available Thursday.

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