Quick Hits: Roster Day, Practice Recap, Phantoms and More (Flyers)

Flyers

Quick Hits: Roster Day, Practice Recap, Phantoms and More

By Bill Meltzer

Oct 10, 2022 • 9:01 am

0comment-bubble

Quick Hits: Oct. 10, 2022

1) The Flyers had a nearly full complement of players on ice at practice on Sunday. The exceptions were Cam Atkinson and Sean Couturier. Couturier skated on his own for 40 to 45 minutes for his third or fourth solo skate (he started last Thursday) while rehabbing a back injury. The player said that he is feeling much better but still does not have an estimated timeline to return to practice with the team and then to work up to a return to playing.

Couturier, who underwent back surgery early this year, pronounced himself 100 percent healthy a month ago but suffered a setback a week later and was sidelined on a week-to-week basis. The setback reportedly occurred off the ice. He was re-evaluated after training camp started, and surgery was ruled out.

Flyers head coach John Tortorella reiterated on Sunday that he is confident that Atkinson (upper-body injury) will be OK to play come regular season opening night on Thursday. The veteran forward participated in the first-day skating test at the start of training camp and then played in a scrimmage on Day 2. Thereafter, he did not play in the Day 4 scrimmage or in any of the team's six preseason games.

Atkinson has officially been on a "day-to-day" basis since Day 4 of camp. On Day 4, despite not scrimmaging, he participated in the post-scrimmage practice. For much of the next week, he continued to appear at practices but was held out of games. Thereafter, he was held out practices but went on the ice afterwards with a group of injury-rehabbing players.

With only two practice days left before the opener -- Tuesday is a teamwide off-day -- it will be important to get Atkinson into practice. He hasn't played in a game since April 12, as he missed the final nine games of last season. He's done plenty of skating in camp but only had the one scrimmage.

2) Carter Hart has now put in three practices with the team since suffering a lower-body injury in a collision around the net on Day 3 of camp. Barring a setback, he's good to go for opening night. Felix Sandström (lower-body injury) practiced in full on Sunday and said afterwards that he was feeling a lot better. Highly regarded goaltending prospect Samuel Ersson remains with the team.

As long as Sandström feels well after Monday's practice, the waiver-eligible goalie will make the Flyers' opening night roster as the backup to Hart. If Sandström is still at less than 100 percent, the Flyers have the option of having him start the season on injured reserve and having Ersson back up Hart for the time being. Ultimately, though, the Flyers want to get Ersson regular playing time. The waiver-exempt goalie would be in a 1A/1B arrangement with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms, splitting time with veteran Troy Grosenick.

Grosenick, 33, was unimpressive during NHL camp with the Flyers. However, he is one of the more accomplished AHL goalies. Last season, he led the league in both goals against average (2.00 GAA in 30 games) and save percentage (.933) while a member of the Providence Bruins. Back in 2016-17, with the San Jose Barracuda, Grosenick won the Baz Bastien Award (the AHL's version of the Vezina Trophy). In three of the last four seasons, he's had GAAs of less than 2.50 and save percentages of .919 or better in the American League.

As such, while Ersson had a fantastic NHL training camp and Grosenick was so-so, it's still likely to be a split-time starting arrangement with the Phantoms to start the campaign unless circumstances dictate otherwise. The hope is that Ersson stays healthy, and he emerges as the undisputed No. 1 guy in Lehigh Valley before potentially moving up to the Flyers. Again, that's in an ideal world. Circumstances often dictate otherwise.

3) Joel Farabee has practiced with the Flyers throughout camp, on a "non-contact" basis (he's actually engaged in his fair share of contact) and he got the go-ahead from team doctors to return to game action ahead of his original timetable. Farabee is pushing to be in the opening night lineup. He is possible for Thursday's game but, even if he's not, he figures to play within the first week of the season. Initially, his timetable after neck surgery was for a late October to mid-November timetable.

4) NHL teams must submit their opening-night rosters to the NHL today by 5 p.m. ET. For this reason, any waiver-eligible player whom a team does not plan to list on its opening roster had to be waived by yesterday. The Flyers waived Zack MacEwen and Cooper Marody for purposes of assigning them to the Phantoms.

A year ago, shortly before rosters had to filed, the Flyers claimed MacEwen off waivers from Vancouver and center Patrick Brown from Vegas. Brown will open the 2022-23 season on injured reserve after undergoing offseason back surgery. He is skating but not ready to be cleared for practice.

The Flyers did not waive winger Hayden Hodgson or veteran defensemen Nick Seeler or Justin Braun. As such, all three players have made the team's opening night roster. The latter two are no surprise as it seemed all along that the plan was for Braun to be one-half of the team's opening third pairing and for Seeler to be the No. 7 guy. On Monday, the Flyers will decide whether one of young defensemen Ronnie Attard or Egor Zamula open the season on the third pair (making Seeler or Braun the No. 7) or if both waiver-exempt players get assigned to the Phantoms. The latter is the case, the season will open with six defensemen on the roster and a Seeler-Braun duo as the third pair on opening night.

The original plan, of course, was for third pair duo of Cam York with Braun. York had a so-so training camp and was sent to the Phantoms last week. York was in Ian Laperriere's lineup on Saturday for a preseason 2-1 win over the Hershey Bears at the PPL Center.

5) In regard to the decision to waive MacEwen and keep Hodgson, it appears that Tortorella deferred to the preference of Chuck Fletcher and assistant general manager Brent Flahr with Nic Deslauriers on the Philadelphia roster. It's also no secret that Laperriere is a big believer in Hodgson.

After Sunday's practice, prior to the waiver announcement regarding MacEwen, Tortorella was asked about his assessments in camp of both MacEwen and Hodgson. The head coach said that, after a slow start, MacEwen's play has improved over the latter portion of camp.

Regarding Hodgson, Tortorella said the player has been just OK in camp. However, there are many in the organization who regard Hodgson quite highly and Tortorella himself does not feel that he has seen enough of Hodgson's play to fairly pass judgment yet. Tortorella added that he wasn't going to base decisions solely on camp.

This was a tip-off that Hodgson was going to make the team. As a result, MacEwen went on waivers due to the numbers game for fourth-line or 13th forward candidates.

From all the available clues, it seems as if Tortorella was OK with one of Hodgson or MacEwen making the team as a 12th or 13th forward and the other being waived for AHL assignment. He left that immediate decision up to Fletcher and Flahr. He will eventually circle back with his assessment of Hodgson to Hockey Ops when there's a little lengthier sample size. Thus, while Hodgson was at least temporarily placed higher on the depth chart by management it could change within a few weeks depending on what Tortorella sees.

Tortorella has cautioned several times that no player can afford to get too comfortable and rest on his laurels. Roster spots and/or playing time will remain fluid into the season regardless of the composition of the opening night roster.

6) It is not known if the Flyers put in a waiver claim yesterday on now-former Calgary Flames defenseman Juuso Và¤limà¤ki. The Arizona Coyotes are in front of the Flyers in the waiver priority order. The Flyers are 4th, while Arizona is second.

There were some Flyers fans on social media complaining about why the Flyers "missed out" on taking a chance on the naturally gifted but slow-to-develop 16th overall pick of the 2017 Entry Draft. It's moot. Whatever the Flyers' intentions were, Arizona had dibs.

7) The Flyers held a lengthy practice on Sunday and will have another on Monday. Tortorella said that Monday's line combinations would vary somewhat from what was featured on Sunday. However, all players who practiced on Sunday (including the two players on waivers until 2 p.m. today) will be on the ice on Monday. Sunday's primary lines were as follows:

Laughton - Hayes -Konecny Farabee - N. Cates - Tippett JVR - Frost - Allison Deslauriers - Laczynski - Hodgon Marody - J. Cates - MacEwen

Provorov - DeAngelo Sanheim - Ristolainen Seeler - Braun Zamula - Attard

Hart Sandström Ersson

8) The first portion of practice, after line rushes, was very much structure and systems-focused (including the power play). The power play units were as follows with a few other players (such as Travis Sanheim on PP2).

PP1: DeAngelo, Farabee, Hayes, Konecny, JVR (netfront) PP2: Provorov, Laughton, Frost, N. Cates, Allison (netfront)

The second unit outperformed the first unit on this day. They connected a total of four times. The prettiest goal was scored off this cross-ice connection between Morgan Frost and Noah Cates:

At the other end of the ice, PP1 needed longer to find a puck-rotation rhythm during their reps. There were several errant passes that ended reps, with the puck exiting the attack zone or getting deflected off defensive sticks. James van Riemsdyk elevated one under the crossbar from close range off a nice initial play by Konecny to find a lane and get the puck to the net.

On the back end of practice, apart from lap skating, the players did a small-area battle drill with nets at the top and bottom of the faceoff circles on the near side of the rink. The players had a lot of fun with the "competition", as did Tortorella (who grinned throughout as the players whooped it up).

Without crease markings to keep their bearings and with both offensive and defensive players accidentally bumping into them a few times, these short-ice drills are sometimes a lot less enjoyable for the goalies than the position players. But Sandström said afterward that he had fun with it, too.

10) Phantoms Update: Coming off a deceptive 2-0 loss in their preseason opener on Friday in Wilkes-Barre -- deceptive because the ice was tilted in the Penguins' favor all night, and only outstanding goaltending prevented a blowout in the 5-0 to 7-0 range -- the Lehigh Valley Phantoms skated to a 2-1 win over the Hershey Bears at the PPL Center on Saturday.

Friday night's Phantoms lineup, as noted in Saturday's blog, largely consisted of tryout players and ECHL/AHL bubble guys. Most of the tryout players were released on Saturday including Tye McSorley (Marty McSorley's nephew). Bubble players Mason Millman and Garrett McFadden were assigned to the ECHL's Reading Royals. Saturday's lineup in Allentown was much closer to what the actual Phantoms roster will look line on opening night.

Tyson Foerster scored a breakaway goal to snap a scoreless deadlock at 5:16 of the second period of the game against Hershey. At 11:20, Isaac Ratcliffe centered a pass from behind the net that Jordy Bellerive converted into a goal. Pat Nagle went 40 minutes in net, stopping 16 of 17 shots while Tyler Wall finished out the game with 5 saves on 5 shots in the third period.

MacEwen is one of the countless examples in the game of someone who is strictly a hard working fourth-line energy player/ policeman at the NHL level (nine goals, 18 points in 130 NHL games) but had the track record of a more regular offensive contributor at lower levels. In the AHL, he 22 goals and 52 points in 69 games for Utica in 2018-19. Back in his junior hockey days, MacEwen was north of a point per game in his final QMJHL season (31 goals, 74 points in 66 games for Gatineau in 2016-17.

Marody, meanwhile, is more of a pure offensive talent who isn't quite quick enough to play a top-six NHL scorers' role on a full-time basis, well-rounded enough to be a top-nine contributor or best deployed on a fourth line. However, he is absolutely a higher-end AHL offensive talent (three full seasons where the now 25-year-old forward flirted with or exceeded a point per game. Last year, he compiled 55 points in 51 games for Bakersfield, the Edmonton Oilers' affiliate in the AHL.

Show Comments
Loading...
Loading...
0
Show comments for this article