ASSESSING THE REMAINING ROSTER BATTLES
On Saturday morning, the Philadelphia Flyers trimmed their preseason roster to 26 players. Blueline prospects
Shayne Gostisbehere and
Robert Hägg as well as center
Nick Cousins were assigned to the American Hockey League's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The roster currently stands as follows:
Forwards (16):
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Sean Couturier, Sam Gagner, Claude Giroux, Scott Laughton, Vinny Lecavalier, Colin McDonald, Chris Porter, Michael Raffl, Matt Read, Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, R.J. Umberger, Chris VandeVelde, Jakub Voracek, Ryan White.
Defensemen (8):
Michael Del Zotto, Radko Gudas, Andrew MacDonald, Brandon Manning, Evgeni Medvedev, Luke Schenn, Nick Schultz, Mark Streit.
Goaltenders (2):
Steve Mason, Michal Neuvirth.
Barring trades or injury, three cuts remain before the opening night roster is set. There are also line combination decisions to be made, as well as determining whether to enter the season with 13 forwards and eight defensemen or a 14/7 split.
Forwards
Scott Laughton,
Chris Porter and
Colin McDonald are caught up in the numbers game. If the team goes into the season with the current 13 other forwards and eight defensemen in the lineup, there is no room for Laughton, Porter and McDonald. In his second pro season, Laughton is waiver exempt. Porter and McDonald would require waivers to send to Lehigh Valley.
The statuses of Laughton and
Brayden Schenn, are complicated by those of
Vincent Lecavalier and
R.J. Umberger.
In Laughton's case, the player is blocked in the lineup by Lecavalier's return to center. The fourth line trio of
Chris VandeVelde,
Ryan White and
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare seems more or less set as a planned combination. With
Claude Giroux and
Sean Couturier entrenched in their respective lineup roles, the spot currently occupied by Lecavalier is the one job Laughton could realistically take.
There is also a development consideration: If Lecavalier cannot be traded and the team wants to give one more try at having him center a line -- he is not comfortable or effective on the wing and was a semi-frequent healthy scratch last season under ex-coach
Craig Berube -- would Laughton be better off starting the year as an all-situations player atop the Phantoms' lineup or a 13th forward for the Flyers waiting for an opportunity to play?
With Lecavalier and
R.J. Umberger (hip and abdominal surgeries) presently occupying presumed "top nine" spots in new coach
Dave Hakstol's lineup, Schenn has been at least temporarily displaced. As has been much discussed and debated --to the point that Schenn already knows what questions he'll be asked daily by the media -- Schenn has been playing right wing on a "fifth line" with Laughton and Porter.
Until a few days ago, Schenn denied being bothered by his spot in the lineup and said it was in no way punitive. However, after both Hextall and Hakstol gave less-than-ringing endorsements to Schenn on Wednesday, the player finally admitted that he was a little perplexed. Schenn went out on Friday night and scored a spectacular goal for his third in as many preseason games. However, the GM and coach say they need to see strong two-way play with a physical edge.
There is also the issue of which position Schenn will play. Whenever asked about his views on playing right or left wing, he consistently starts out by saying that he feels most comfortable playing center but realizes the team's needs are on the wing. He also knows the team has greater need at left wing than the right side.
Hextall, meanwhile, has said twice within the last week that playing right wing instead of left was Schenn's own stated preference before training camp. He closed out last season effectively on right wing but the GM emphatically points out that it was over a small sampling of regular season games and there is only so much to be gleaned from early preseason games.
Schenn is probably not going to get his wish of playing center. Meanwhile, the organization is throwing down the gauntlet that he meet an elevated standard of play regardless of where he plays. There is seemingly a "tough love" tactic being taken: "You've scored goals in three straight games, fine. Now be a complete player on a consistent basis and keep on scoring, too."
There is also another possibility: In combination with trying to spur Schenn to reach the next level in his game, the team is also trying to showcase Lecavalier and (to a lesser extent) Umberger to any possible trade partners by moving them back up in the lineup pecking order and publicly talking up on a regular basis how much better both look this year.
On several occasions, Hextall has stated that Umberger is skating and how much more effective he's looked at camp compared to a year ago. Meanwhile, coach Hakstol has restored Lecavalier to center. Both he and the GM have repeatedly praised Lecavalier's off-season physical conditioning regimen and noted the former Tampa Bay Lightning icon's professionalism.
All of this is true. Umberger has looked significantly better than a year ago and does seem on track for something of a bounceback season if he stays healthy. Lecavalier is a highly respected veteran and he clearly put in extra work over the summer to give himself the best possible chance at a bounceback year of his own. At the same time, there is also pretty clear-cut "message framing" going on, especially with Lecavalier.
Whether it will work and another team will be convinced to take on Lecavalier or Umberger's contracts via trade remains to be seen. Even if a move can be made, the Flyers will no doubt have to offer sweeteners -- draft pick assets, a prospect and/or eating a chunk of the salary -- to move one of their problem contract veterans.
As with Brayden Schenn, Hextall used the term "OK" to describe the play new acquisition
Sam Gagner has turned in during camp to date. He has played a couple of games at left wing and also has played right wing. Although Gagner's lineup spot does not seem to be in immediate jeopardy for opening night, that could change at some point.
There's a similar situation on the blueline. Although both Hextall and Hakstol repeatedly insist (as any GM and coach would) that there are starting spots up from grabs among all eight remaining defensemen in camp, the depth chart seems to place
Andrew MacDonald and
Radko Gudas as the fifth and sixth defensemen, leaving
Luke Schenn and
Brandon Manning as the "fourth pair" healthy scratches barring injuries.
Schenn will probably never live up to the hype he got in Toronto and from
The Hockey News ("the next Adam Foote") as a teenage player. At this point, the best hope is that he re-establishes himself as a regular starting six player in today's mobility and puck possession oriented NHL. However, despite being a healthy scratch at times and being shut down late in the season with an abdominal muscle injury, Schenn really
did not have a bad overall season last year even going by the analytics that are typically unfriendly to traditional physical stay-at-home defenseman. Likewise, he has not looked bad in training camp or the one preseason game he's played to date. Schenn will be in Monday's lineup.
There seems to a set-in-stone perception now that Schenn can't skate or move the puck well enough to play in a starting six. His skating is what it is. Skating is Schenn's biggest drawback along with some of his coverage reads. Despite his reputation, he makes an underrated first pass, which is said to be the primary reason that Gudas is ahead of Schenn on the depth chart.
Gudas makes a pretty good first pass and, even with his own knee issues, moves around decently. Both Schenn and Gudas play a physical brand of hockey but Gudas is perhaps a little "meaner" in playing a punishing hit-to-hurt game. Both will get out position at times.
With Schenn slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and teams like Boston already dealing with blueline injuries, it is still possible that the Flyers could trade him before opening night or at some point early in the season if the defense lineup is otherwise healthy.
Contrary to popular belief, Schenn is tradeable if there is not a starting spot for him in Philadelphia. The demand clearly isn't overwhelming but there is always a need for veteran defensemen, especially one who is still relatively young and has an expiring contract.
The problem is finding a trade that makes sense for both sides: 1) a trading partner has to have a specific need to add size and physicality to their defense corps and 2) other teams know the Flyers are trading from a position of salary cap vulnerability even if they are (barely) under the ceiling. It is not even a question about whatever asset -- likely a mid-round draft pick -- a deal brings back. Rather it's a matter of the Flyers not having to include one of their own draft picks or take on someone else's unwanted salary, especially on a contract that may run beyond this season.
The buzz on Manning heading into camp was that he'll get every shot to be the team's seventh defenseman and the club preferred not to return him to the Phantoms unless he had a poor camp or it was forced by the salary cap configuration of the opening-night roster to do so. He is on a one-way contract this season and is not waiver exempt (although he'd probably clear if waived). Indeed, the construction of the Phantoms' blueline over the offseason suggested that the Flyers organization was not planning on having Manning return to the AHL to start another season.
At the AHL level, Manning is a very aggressive player. He's aggressive offensively. He's aggressive physically. Those traits have worked at times to the detriment of his defensive play, but he improved significantly defensively under former coach
Terry Murray the last couple years so that he's not an own-zone liability.
At the NHL level, Manning is a different style player. Recognizing the need to adjust to the NHL pace, he keeps things very simple and takes many fewer risks. At his salary level and given the way he's periodically stepped into the Flyers' lineup to adequately play about 12 minutes, the 25-year-old Manning fits more of a seventh NHL defenseman mold at this point of his career.
However, if the Flyers are unable to make any trades and if the remain in a position of having no wiggle room under the salary cap, Manning could still wind up at least starting the season in Allentown. Manning will make $625,000 this season regardless of where he plays. Forwards Porter ($575,000 on the NHL end of a two-way contract) and
Colin McDonald ($625,000, two-way contract) are indirect competition for defenseman if the team as presently constituted opts to go with a 14th forward rather than an eighth defenseman.
As expected, forwards
Tim Brent,
Chris Conner and
Aaron Palushaj, defenseman
Davis Drewiske, and goaltender
Jason LaBarbera cleared waivers on Saturday. All five veteran players have been assigned to the Phantoms.
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SYSTEMS WORK TO BECOME MORE IN-DEPTH IN UPCOMING DAYS
With the team getting down to the nitty gritty of making its final roster decisions and the number of players remaining now down to a manageable number for systems-based practices, Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said after Saturday's practice that upcoming practices will be increasingly systems focused in preparation for opening night.
The biggest change in Hakstol's system compared to Craig Berube's is in the neutral zone. Forwards are expected to help cover over the middle with defensemen having increased focus on guarding the wings. There are also smaller tweaks in trying to activate the defensemen a little more in the offensive zone and in isolating and outnumbering attackers to take away time and space to make plays in the Flyers zone.
Additionally, the Flyers have not had any chance yet to work on the power play -- which has been torrid in the preseason to date -- or penalty killing structure as of yet. Hakstol said that work is upcoming very shortly, perhaps as early as Sunday's practice at the Skate Zone.
Hakstol also indicated on Saturday that veteran players who have only suited up for one preseason game to date will get the priority to play in Monday's game at Madison Square Garden. Look for the defense pairings of
Mark Streit and
Nick Schultz and Luke Schenn with Brandon Manning to play, with
Steve Mason going the distance in goal.
Scott Laughton is also likely to play on Monday, as are
Sean Couturier and
Wayne Simmonds.
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HEXTALL TALKS ROSTER CUTS AND COMPETITION
After Saturday's practice at the Skate Zone, Ron Hextall met with a small gathering of reporters --- Tim Panaccio of CSN Philadelphia, Sam Carchidi from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Wayne Fish of the Buck County Courier Times, Dave Isaac of the Camden Courier Post and myself -- to talk about the decision to send Shayne Gostisbehere, Robert Hägg and Nick Cousins back to the Phantoms. He also discussed the ongoing roster battles.
Both Hextall and Hakstol said of Gostisbehere that the player needs to continue developing his game away from the puck before the 22-year-old is ready to compete for an NHL job. With the puck on his stick, he's ready now. Conversely in Hägg's case, Hakstol said the 20-year-old needs a year of regular-course development (gaining a little more pro experience, continuing to get stronger and fine-tuning his game for greater consistency) to be ready to make a push at the top level.
The GM and coach also both noted that half of the battle in developing players is to make sure they are aware of the specific areas of improvement they need. They praised Gostisbehere for his intelligence and maturity: the player knows exactly what he has to focus on with the Phantoms to be ready to be promoted.
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Sunday Quick Hits
* Back in early June, I spoke for roughly 45 minutes to former Flyers and Phantoms goaltender
Rob Zepp in conjunction with a profile article for the International Ice Hockey Federation's official website. The focus of the article was to trace Zepp's unusual career path and his one-rung-at-a-time development as a player. He had been a very good goaltender at the major junior level but it took a long time, a lot of hard work and strong relationships with a series of goaltending coaches -- each of whom brought something Zepp carried along thereafter -- to finally realize his dream of making it to the NHL.
The article is finally now
online at IIHF.com.
Contrary to a report published in Germany several weeks ago, Zepp has not decided to retire. Numerous subsequent reports from Germany indicate at least two DEL teams have interest in his services but there is said to be a financial snag involving an expensive transfer fee to his former team, Eisbären Berlin, if he is to return to the German league with a competing club. While contemplating his next step, fitness fanatic Zepp can stay in shape and also has the opportunity to spend time at home with his wife and three young children. His wife had a baby girl in late June.
* QMJHL: Flyers 2014 second-round pick
Nicolas Aube-Kubel was not in the lineup on Saturday for Val-d-Or. He is recuperating from a vicious blindside hit by Rimouski's
Michael Joly that knocked him out of the game early in the first period of Friday's game. Joly has been suspended indefinitely by the QMJHL pending a hearing to review the incident.
* WHL: Flyers 2015 first-round pick
Ivan Provorov recorded an assist and was plus-three in the Brandon Wheat Kings' 4-1 win over the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday.
* WHL: Flyers 2014 first-round pick
Travis Sanheim did not record a point but was plus-one in the Calgary Hitmen's 1-0 win over the Kootenay Ice on Saturday. Teammate
Radel Fazleev, the Flyers sixth-round pick in 2014, assisted on the game's lone goal, scored by Hitmen defenseman
Loch Morrison early in the second period. The Hitmen go head-to-head with the Wheat Kings on Friday night in Brandon.
* SHL: Flyers 2015 third-round pick
Felix Sandström earned a second straight start for Brynäs IF Gävle and turned in another strong performance. The 18-year-old stopped 19 of 20 shots in a 3-1 home win on Saturday against HV71 Jönköping. Teammate
Oskar Lindblom skated a season-high 16:12 on BIF's top line, recording a late-game assist while putting a season-high six shots on goal. He narrowly missed scoring twice.
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