I was able to attend the Flyers’ training camp today at the Virtua Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. The core roster players participated in two sessions, followed by sessions with the Phantoms and other young prospects and invitees.
The forward lines were juggled again today, as they will be for the majority of camp. James Van Riemsdyk was paired again with Claude Giroux, but I doubt the two won’t be broken up in the next couple of days as coach Peter Laviolette experiments further. They practiced on a line with Jaromir Jagr yesterday and Wayne Simmonds today.
Speaking of Jagr, I hate to jump to premature conclusions, but he looked very good playing with Danny Briere. I’d like to see the two practice further with rotating wingers. Matt Read was given the opportunity today and ran with it.
Recent draft pick Sean Couturier practiced with Max Talbot and Andreas Nodl. He seemed to have a bit of a “deer in headlights” look through the bulk of the drills, which isn’t all that surprising. He also looked like a twig compared to the rest of his teammates. It’s good that he is exposed early to training with the core group, but I don’t expect him to be prepared for the NHL at this stage of his career.
Tryout Adam Mair skated in the second session with Blair Betts and Jody Shelley. Mair looked just fine, but I still don’t know where he would fit on the roster without moving an existing fourth liner. I kept an eye out for tryout Michael Nylander, but he apparently took a maintenance day after one day of practice.
Brayden Schenn, who alternated in the line-up on the first day, centered Scott Hartnell and Jakub Voracek today. I’m very hesitant to say Schenn is ready to center the third line, but there really aren’t many other options for that position. Talbot could fill it intermittently as the season progresses, but it could be a weak spot if Schenn struggles.
Erik Gustafsson was also invited to practice with the main roster. Paired with Kimmo Timonen, he looked alright, but I suspect the fact that Oskars Bartulis is $300K cheaper still gives him the edge. As Bill Meltzer pointed out on Hockeybuzz today, Matt Walker and his bloated contract are a longshot to play unless Chris Pronger sees substantial time in the press box.
I don’t have much to say about Ilya Bryzgalov, Sergei Bobrovsky or Michael Leighton. I will say this- Jason “Cold Hard Cash” Bacashihua looked very good in net. As he has a very inexpensive two-way contract (and thus waiver ineligible), I think Johan Backlund is going to have to an uphill battle staying with the organization.
As a final note, Hartnell fell once during the drills and then wiped out into the boards during the final conditioning stint.
It feels like hockey season again.
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