We’re almost a week into the Flyers training camp as the battle for roster spots has been heating up.
Every player on the Flyers roster right now knows they’ll be heading with the team to Toronto. It is a matter of who will be playing in those games that have to be determined. The team will use camp to take a look at the various combinations they could use come playoff time.
The exhibition game against the Penguins and the round-robin series is also where we will see various players looking to break the lineup try to prove themselves. While the round-robin will help determine the Flyers seeding in the first round, they are looking ahead to that first round.
During the first few days of camp, we have seen Alain Vigneault use the same lines during each practice. We may get a better idea of those combinations when the team takes to the ice for scrimmages on Saturday. That is where Vigneault is expected to test out some other combinations.
But what we have seen so far is camp is a good indication of what we could possibly see come playoff time. It has featured very similar combinations to what we have seen during the regular season.
Forwards
Claude Giroux–Sean Couturier–Jakub Voracek
Joel Farabee–Kevin Hayes–Travis Konecny
James van Riemsdyk–Scott Laughton–Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Michael Raffl–Derek Grant–Tyler Pitlick
Connor Bunnaman–Nate Thompson–Carsen Twarynski
German Rubtsov–Morgan Frost–Andy Andreoff
There are a few surprises among this group of forwards. For starters, Thompson has been skating as an “extra” thus far in camp. He was partly acquired for his veteran leadership and experience in the playoffs. So seeing him outside of the lineup currently is a little surprising.
But it is a good sign for Farabee. He’s slotted on the second line with two very good players in Hayes and Konecny. Right now the Flyers are giving him a chance to succeed. It is similar to what they did when Frost first joined the lineup.
The decision appears to be between those two right now. The rest of the players in the lineup have held mostly held regular minutes in the spots they are located. So Farabee has his chance to impress if he takes it.
If he’s unable to shine during camp and even during the round-robin play, the safe option would be to move Thompson back in on the fourth line. That would likely move Grant up to the third line, depending on where the team would want Laughton to be. He has played both center and wing this season.
The Flyers would also need a new candidate to take over on the second line for Farabee. The team has various options they could move up to that spot, including someone van Riemsdyk or Laughton. A lot could change in the next week or so, but this is a good idea of what the Flyers are thinking for their forwards.
Defensemen
Ivan Provorov–Matt Niskanen
Travis Sanheim–Philippe Myers
Robert Hagg–Justin Braun
Shayne Gostisbehere–Mark Friedman
Egor Zamula-Andy Welinski
Tyler Wotherspoon–Nate Prosser
The biggest thing to note among this group is Gostisbehere’s spot with the extras. It is still early in camp, so things can change. And the Flyers will certainly give him a chance to earn a role on the starting roster. It’s also possible that the second surgery he had plays a role in this as well.
But he will be fighting from the outside as the team has gone with their regular defensive pairings during the beginning stages of training camp. It’s likely we see some different combinations during the scrimmages on Saturday.
Otherwise, there isn’t much of a surprise among the defensive lines the Flyers have run. There is really no one else expected to be fighting for a roster spot. It’s possible Friedman could make some noise, but he would likely have to blow everyone out of the water to win a spot on the playoff roster.
One other thing to note is the complete trust the Flyers have in the Sanheim-Myers pairing. The two are expected to get heavy minutes this postseason. The team is going full-steam ahead with these two. Part of the future of the Flyers defense, the sky is the limit for a pairing that impressed during the regular season.
No matter what the Flyers decide on for their playoff roster, everyone will get a chance to show what they can do. And you never know, they could be some surprises along the way.