5 Philadelphia Flyers training camp battles to watch

The Philadelphia Flyers’ full training camp will open up in two days, and that means all the veterans will be back in town. This year though, the spotlight belongs to the young guns vying for a spot in the big leagues – and that won’t be an easy feat. With a logjam at nearly every position, things are going to get heated in a pinch.

#5. Cal Petersen vs Felix Sandstrom vs Samuel Ersson

The Flyers’ goaltending position is an interesting one, in the sense that there is so much uncertainty that nearly everyone has a place to fight for. Aside from incumbent starter Carter Hart, Philadelphia’s depth chart is a complete anomaly.

Realistically, Cal Petersen will get one last shot to live up to his contract and prove he has a place in the NHL. The former Los Angeles King was banished to the AHL following multiple seasons’ worth of declining performances. The Flyers acquired him as a cap dump in the Ivan Provorov trade, and they could easily stick Petersen back on waivers to see if anyone would be foolish enough to take on that contract. Also, burying the veteran goaltender buys the Flyers a bit of cap space as well.

Felix Sandstrom was equally bad last year, but he doesn’t have an albatross contract tethering him to the NHL. The Swede will be a UFA at the end of the season, and is coming off of a year where he went 3-12-0 in 20 appearances to go with a 0.880 save percentage. While Petersen has one more year after this one, this could be Sandstrom’s final opportunity to make it in the show.

Then there’s Sam Ersson, who appears to be the favorite for a new full-time role after signing a two-year contract extension at the beginning of August. Ersson will turn 24 not too long after opening night, and he’s approaching the age where he’s developed enough to play regularly at a high level. Barring any changes, this Swede will have the inside track as we approach the start of camp.

#4. Elliot Desnoyers vs Ryan Poehling

The Flyers only just signed 24 year old Ryan Poehling on July 1, but as a fourth-liner, his spot shouldn’t be guaranteed just yet. Elliot Desnoyers had a so-so Flyers rookie camp, but should be able to push Poehling for a spot on the NHL roster.

The latter has done very little at the NHL level, and although he’s only 24, Poehling’s time is running out. Desnoyers, on the other hand, is a prospect surging up the Flyers’ ranks and was hailed by Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere as the prospect closest to the NHL in terms of detailed play.

That alone should give him the edge over Poehling, whose career thus far can probably be described as the exact opposite. After scoring a hat trick in his first game, the former Montreal Canadien hasn’t been able to establish himself as a regular nor has he been able to put up points.

For now though, Desnoyers needs to improve on his rusty performance at rookie camp to have any shot at making the jump this year. The 21-year-old clearly has the higher upside, but he’ll need to earn his keep based on merit, not potential.

#3. Tyson Foerster vs Bobby Brink vs Wade Allison

It’s a shame, because all three of these guys are talented and can contribute at the NHL level, but the Flyers simply have too many right wings. The logjam is genuinely insane, and the team can only choose one to stay. The rest will need to develop and play down in the AHL with Lehigh Valley.

Tyson Foerster is obviously going to be many people’s favorite thanks to his blistering shot and offensive play style, but he wasn’t all that during Flyers rookie camp. Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr said that Foerster was ‘frustrated’ over the weekend, but also called him a ‘smart player’ and observed that Foerster’s skating was much improved.

The veteran Wade Allison has the experience working in his favor, and is more of a neutral force out there on the ice. He plays hard and physical, and is neither good nor bad at any offensive or defensive aspect of hockey. However, availability and consistency have been two issues for Allison, and he’ll be 26 on Oct. 14.

Bobby Brink, like Foerster, was unimpressive during rookie camp, but at least did some nice work on the power play. That was a clear area for improvement for the Flyers last season, but it’s highly unlikely they keep Brink solely for special teams work. All three of these players need to kick it into high gear in the coming days or the Flyers are in for a tough time with their third line.

#2. Adam Ginning vs Emil Andrae

We’ll consider this the Flyers’ in-house version of David vs Goliath. Adam Ginning stands at 6-foot-4, whereas Emil Andrae comes in at 5-foot-9. The organization likes both of these players a lot, but with the addition of Marc Staal and the presence of Nick Seeler, it makes sense to only keep one on their roster for now.

Ginning’s role would likely be a big, stabilizing defensive presence that would allow a Rasmus Ristolainen or a Cam York or a Sean Walker the freedom to be more aggressive offensively. The 23-year-old plays a simple game already, and as long as he can keep it clean that will benefit him in the long run.

Andrae, on the other hand, can do it all but it’s his size that limits him. However, the mighty Swede plays like a pitbull and his determination regularly allows him to win disadvantageous battles. Andrae is also better offensively than what he gets credit for, although that won’t be his hallmark at the next level.

Both of these guys should see NHL ice time this year, but this is more a matter of who does so first.