Flyers have depth at Center and plenty of other options

Puzzle Pieces: The Muddle in the Middle, The  Fourth Line

Connor Bunnaman may not ever become a top-line NHL center, but he may be the just the man to take the helm on the fourth line. Bunnaman was a fourth-round pick of the Flyers in 2016 and was able to dress for the Flyers 21 times last season.

In his draft year, scouts liked his size, aggression, and skating ability which made him a formidable forechecker in the OHL.  As someone that is partial to forechecking and an aggressive fourth line I am all in with Bunnaman, but he will have a tough task to win and hold a spot in the lineup given the number of other contenders.

Bunnaman’s fate may be directly related to the style of play Vigneault wants from the fourth line, where Bunnaman may be shown preference if forechecking is a priority.

German Rubtsov has alternated between showing great promise and showing hardly anything.  Rubtsov was the team’s first-round pick back in 2016.  He was hailed by scouts as a good two-way center with offensive upside while possessing a mature defensive game.

Unfortunately, it seems every time he got on track there was some kind of stoppage that halted his ascent.  Injuries, trades, or global pandemics have made his development path look like a game of red light-green light.

Even with that, he did play four unremarkable games for the NHL club last season.  Maybe this is his year.

With so many players and possibilities, this will start as the most fluid competition in camp and will provide Flyers’ fans a jolt of optimism and enthusiasm.