A Look at the Flyers Center Depth Chart

There are more than four forwards on the Flyers that can hold down a center spot. But not all of them will appear at the position and are available to fill in there if need be. If the team rolls with the current group of centers that they have, this is how they could fill out their lineup.

Sean Couturier

Couturier is your number one center, there is no argument around that. He has developed from a defensive forward into one of the best two-way centers in the game. His recent Selke Trophy speaks for itself.

Unless he finds himself injured, he will line up in that top spot every game. There is no reason to expect anything different.

Kevin Hayes

The addition of Hayes gave the Flyers a solid depth of forwards down the middle. And he gave the team exactly what they were looking for when they signed him long term.

He was close to breaking his career-high in goals and wasn’t too far off from his high in points during his first season in Philadelphia. And his play on the penalty kill helped transform a struggling unit.

The same play from him during a full season would continue to make that contract worth it. He started off slow, to be expected under a new system. But he was able to shake that off and become one of the team’s top forwards.

Claude Giroux

While Giroux has been transitioning to wing recently, he is still able to give the Flyers minutes at center. That would likely only be if there were injuries that forced the team to move him back.

Putting him on the wing was done to help ease his workload as he gets into the latter stages of his career. But there is a scenario that could see him back at center full time.

Chuck Fletcher recently spoke about what the team may do if Patrick isn’t ready to return. That includes dropping Giroux from 1LW and putting him at the 3C position. It is far from the ideal scenario, but it could be done if the situation calls for it.

Scott Laughton

Laughton is in the same position as Giroux. He has played both the center and wing, though he has done both on a more frequent basis. The team likes him better at the wing, but he is able to give them quality minutes at center if need be.

He is the other 3C option if the Flyers don’t want to move Giroux down in the lineup. He filled in admirably there this season. However, the 3C by committee strategy isn’t exactly one that should be done as frequently as it was this past season.

Having Patrick healthy and ready to play at the start of the season is the most ideal scenario to come from all of that. That could move Laughton down to the fourth line center position if Frost doesn’t make the team or is better suited at wing.

Nolan Patrick

And that brings us to the player in question in Patrick. There isn’t a lot to go off of as he has not played in over a year. So it’s fair to not know what to expect if he is to return next season. But a healthy Patrick does help the Flyers in a big way. It gives them the 3C they were looking for last season as he was expected to fill that role before his migraine diagnosis.

Having him lower down in the lineup would allow him to face easier matchup and find his game after being away for so long. He has been training and taking part in scrimmages back in his hometown of Manitoba. All signs currently point to him being ready once the season begins.

The more time that goes by before next season begins allows Patrick even more time to work his way back up to NHL game-shape. Though, the team won’t know where he really is until he is back in camp and taking more contact than he is now.

The best thing for Patrick is to be able to resume as normal of a life as he can and get back to playing. And if he is able to do that with the Flyers this upcoming season, then that would be the icing on the cake.

Most of the choices when it comes to the center depth are all hanging on whether or not Patrick is able to play next season. With his addition to the lineup, the Flyers have a solid group of players down the middle of the ice.