One of the major X factors for every NHL team in the offseason is trying to project which rookies will crack the opening night lineup and which young players will go on to be significant contributors during the season. It doesn't always go according to plan.
For example, in the summer of 2008, most everyone had top prospect Claude Giroux penciled into the Flyers' opening night lineup. The 2006 first-round pick was coming off an incredible postseason run for Gatineau that saw him wrack up a staggering 51 points in 19 games. Giroux, however, had a so-so training camp and poor preseason for John Stevens' team and ended up starting the season in the AHL before being called up midway through the year and cementing his NHL roster spot.
Veteran hockey people know to expect the unexpected over the summer and during training camp, especially where rookies are concerned. There may be a player or two who were not expected to seriously challenge for a roster spot but who make such a strong push that they make themselves hard to ignore.
A good example of this would be Matt Read in the summer of 2011. He shined during an AHL cup of coffee late in the previous season, but an NHL roster spot was still far from a guarantee. Read reported to training camp in tremendous condition, showed off his versatility, speed and point-producing ability during scrimmages and preseason games, and earned a spot in the opening night lineup. He came out of the gates very well at the start of the 2011-12 regular season and went on to tally 24 goals in his rookie season.
As of now,third-year pro Tye McGinn, 2012 first-round pick Scott Laughton and 24-year-old Austrian import Michael Raffl are the three potential NHL rookies who are expected to most heavily push for an NHL opening night roster. This could change after the upcoming NHL Draft with whomever the Flyers choose in the first round, especially if they pick a forward. Philadelphia is an organization that often has its first-round picks immediately in the opening night mix (Dainius Zubrus in 1996, Justin Williams in 2000, defenseman Luca Sbisa in 2008, Sean Couturier in 2011, Laughton for five games this past season).
Raffl, whom the Flyers project as a third-line winger, will have to make a rapid adjustment to the North American game if he is to earn an NHL spot. He'll get a shot in camp, but there is still a pretty good chance he'll at least start the season with the Phantoms.
Checking forward Ben Holmstrom, now 27, is coming off a torn ACL that cost him all but the first 22 games of last season. The gritty two-way player, who has dressed in 7 NHL games, could compete for a fourth-line role with the Flyers if he is fully healthy. The departure of Ruslan Fedotenko and likely decision not to re-sign veteran Adam Hall could help Holmstrom's chances.
On the flip side, speedy checking forward Eric Wellwood still faces a
lengthy recovery from a severe skate cut injury that severed two tendons an artery. A restricted free agent this summer, Wellwood is not expected to be ready to return to the ice until some time in 2014.
Erik Gustafsson, who has 60 games of NHL regular season experience over parts of three seasons, does not qualify as an NHL rookie. However, the 2013-14 season could be his first full season at the NHL level. Coming off a very solid final 10 games of the 2013 NHL season and an even better World Championships as the blueline anchor for gold medalist Sweden, Gustafsson will have a shot at earning a full-time starting job with the Flyers. He will have to have a decent preseason and avoid injury setbacks (a problem in each of the last two seasons).
Fellow defenseman Oliver Lauridsen surpassed expectations during a late-season callup to the big club this past seasons. He also performed well for Denmark at the Worlds. The numbers game works against Lauridsen getting a spot in the Flyers' opening night lineup next season but the situation could change depending on the health of Nicklas Grossmann (concussion) and Andrej Meszaros (rotator cuff surgery) and other potential injuries. At the very least, Lauridsen is now in the mix to be a callup during the 2013-14 season, especially if the Flyers need a replacement for a defensive defenseman.
Defenseman Brandon Manning had a somewhat disappointing second season in the American Hockey League in 2012-13. He worked hard last summer but it didn't carry over to the type of season he hoped and expected to have. However, "Manndog" finished the year on the upswing and acquitted himself reasonably well during an end-of-year cup of coffee with the injury-riddled Flyers. He is a potential callup candidate if the Flyers need a puck mover.
Gustafsson, Lauridsen and Manning are all restricted free agents this summer. All should be re-signed with little difficulty.
Defenseman Mark Alt, whom I discussed in depth in my
May 14 blog is an X-factor on the organization's defensive depth chart. There are some in the organization who feel he could ascend very rapidly. However, the 2013-14 season will be his first full and he is still an unknown quantity in his learning curve. Expectations for now should be kept modest.
Forward Jason Akeson made his NHL debut in the final game of the 2013 regular season, scoring a goal on the second shift. The odds are still against him making the opening night NHL roster or becoming a regular starter for the Flyers, because he lacks speed as well as size. The offensive skills are there, however. I addressed Akeson's situation in depth in my
May 8 blog.
During his end-of-season press conference, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said that it would be "a reach" to suggest that first-season pro Nick Cousins will be ready to compete for an NHL job out of training camp. However, to his credit, Cousins has elected to spend his summer in Voorhees working to add muscle to his frame and to continue working on his skating. Improving his skating and especially his defensive play will be the keys to Cousins earning his first NHL callup.
The upcoming season will be an important one for the NHL hopes of second-year pro Marcel Noebels. The German forward is another player who has NHL-caliber skills but needs to continue to improve his skating as well as his on-ice attention to detail if he is to make the transition to being a potential third-line player. The signing of Raffl at least temporarily moves the 21-year-old Noebels down a notch on the depth chart.
Other players currently projected to have a chance at a callup during the 2013-14 season include Phantoms defenseman Matt Konan (who finished last season in the NHL due to all the injuries on the Flyers' blueline), goaltender Cal Heeter, recently signed rookie scoring-line forward Petr Straka, and checking forward Tyler Brown (who dropped on the depth chart last season after entering 2012-13 as a potential dark horse for a callup).
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