POST-PRACTICE UPDATE: SEPT. 24, 2015
After an off-day on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Flyers resumed practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ, on Thursday in preparation for Friday's preseason game against the New York Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center.
The following line combinations practiced on Thursday:
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek 20 R.J. Umberger - 14 Sean Couturier - 17 Wayne Simmonds 89 Sam Gagner - 40 Vincent Lecavalier - 24 Matt Read 76 Chris VandeVelde - 25 Ryan White - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 33 Chris Porter - 49 Scott Laughton - 10 Brayden Schenn
Extra forwards: 36 Colin McDonald, 52 Nick Cousins
55 Nick Schultz - 32 Mark Streit 15 Michael Del Zotto - 82 Evgeny Medvedev 47 Andrew MacDonald - 3 Radko Gudas 23 Brandon Manning - 22 Luke Schenn 48 Robert Hà¤gg - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
35 Steve Mason / 30 Michal Neuvirth
Did not practice: Jason LaBarbera, Davis Drewiske, Tim Brent, Chris Conner, Aaron Palushaj.
After practice, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall addressed the media to discuss this week's roster cuts and other topics. It was then head coach Dave Hakstol's turn. Some highlights of the gist of the GM's comments:
* Travis Konecny showed the skills that have the organization very excited about his future. However, like most teenage offensive-minded forwards, has room for improvement on defensive side of the puck as well as decision-making on when to try to make a play and when to make the safe. There is also a need to add muscle to his 177-pound frame.
Said Hextall, "He’s an 18 year old kid. He opened eyes, we all know that the teams aren’t exactly NHL teams, but he did a great job. He obviously made a real good impression on our staff, on our coaches, and did a great job.
"I think some of things, a typical young player sorting through the thought process on a decision to whether you make a play or not make a play there’s some things he obviously has to get better at there like on the defensive side of the puck, but that’s teachable stuff so he made a great impression and we really liked what we saw. He’s a character kid, he works hard, he has play making abilities, he’s got a motor that just doesn’t stop running, and we were very impressed with the kid and that he’s a part of the organization.
"Tat’s the part of trying to decipher when you make the play, when the right time is in the danger of going back the other way, I think that’s the hardest part for young skilled players is realizing that there’s going to be danger going back the other way if you make the wrong play. So the typical mindset of an offensive player is that they have to make something happen and you have to sift through those.…
* Ivan Provorov had some ups and downs, which are par for the course. The feeling all along was that he was not going to be quite ready at age 18 to help the team at the NHL level. The organization is looking forward to him having a big year in Brandon and the World Junior Championships.
* Travis Sanheim had a better training camp last year when "he was playing with house money" than he did this year when the attention and expectations were much higher. The organization's view of him has not changed based on one so-so week. The player can use this year's camp as a learning experience, build on his breakthrough 2014-15 WHL season, play World Juniors and come back to camp next year more ready for the pro level.
Said Hextall, "“I think he was a little better last year, but I think when you get a kid that comes in last year who kind of has house money and the expectations weren’t that high and he comes in and kind of dazzles and all of sudden it’s a different animal for him. The kid is coming in and people are talking about him when he has high expectations and we do, and the public does, so it’s actually a really good learning lesson for a young kid. Where you come in with expectations and it’s different when you come in and you’re playing with house money, so Travis is a good young defenseman and we love him as a prospect and hopefully he goes back and has a great year in Calgary, hopefully he plays world Juniors and then comes in in September as a better player, a more equipped for the pro level and ready to tackle a long pro career.…
* Samuel Morin is another player who was a little better last year. He needs to adapt to the pacing and decision-making at the pro level and will have a great opportunity to do so with the Phantoms.
* Scott Laughton has been one of the hungriest players in camp and came to camp in the best shape he's been in thus far as a pro. Head coach Dave Hakstol later praised the consistency he's seen from Laughton each day in camp thus far.
* Asked about Brayden Schenn's play, Hextall said, "He's been OK." Hakstol later noted that Schenn has scored goals in both preseason games he's played but added that it's not always the best barometer to focus on points, especially in the preseason. The coach said there are details where Schenn still has an opportunity to get better as he adapts to playing his off-wing.
* This has been a very competitive camp thus far and players such as Chris Porter and Colin McDonald are creating some tough decisions, which is what the organization wants to see. Hextall said there is a lot of work to be done but said he'd like to get a few games where the lineup will more or less correspond to the likely opening-night roster.
* Vincent Lecavalier knew he'd have to come into camp in excellent shape, and to his credit, has done so. It was Hakstol's decision to put Lecavalier back at center again, and that is clearly where the player feels the most comfortable and effective.
* Asked about the play of Sam Gagner thus far, Hextall used the same description he did for Brayden Schenn: "he's been OK."
* Hextall was non-committal about trades except for saying it's normal for GMs to start contacting each other as camp progresses and that he is willing to make a move if he feels it will help the team.
* Robert Hà¤gg, who played 23+ minutes in the Brooklyn game and was not among the first cuts this year, has had a strong camp that the GM believes is a carryover from coming to development camp in July in outstanding shape and then building on it in training camp. The hope is that Hà¤gg carries that over into the (AHL) season.
* Waivers start on Friday. The players who did not skate on Thursday (Tim Brent, Chris Conner, Aaron Palushaj, Davis Drewiske and Jason LaBarbera) will be waived then for purposes of assigning them the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
* Rookie defenseman Christian Marti (shoulder surgery) may be ready to play by mid-November. He will open the season designated as injured non-roster.
* Friday's morning skate will be in Voorhees rather than the Wells Fargo Center.
FLYERS PRESEASON GAME DAY: SEPT. 25, 2015 VS. NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Friday night's preseason game against the New York Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center will start at 6 p.m. EDT and will feature an NHL-mandated 3-on-3 overtime "rehearsal"regardless of the score at the end of regulation.
Flyers' lineup during Friday morning skate:
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek 89 Sam Gagner - 40 Vincent Lecavalier - 24 Matt Read 33 Chris Porter - 52 Nick Cousins - 10 Brayden Schenn 76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 36 Colin McDonald
15 Michael Del Zotto - 82 Evgeny Medvedev 47 Andrew MacDonald - 3 Radko Gudas 48 Robert Hà¤gg - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
30 Michal Neuvirth [35 Steve Mason]
Islanders game-day roster:
Forwards: Mathew Barzal, Taylor Beck, Steve Bernier, Eric Boulton, Sebastian Collberg, Justin Florek, Mikhail Grabovski, Ben Holmstrom, Nikolay Kulemin, Louis Leblanc, Alan Quine, Ryan Strome.
Defensemen: Johnny Boychuk, Kevin Czuczman, Nick Leddy, Tom Nilsson, Adam Pelech, Marek Zidlicky.
Goaltenders: Jaroslav Halak, Stephon Williams.