PHILADELPHIA _ With several rookies knocking on the door for jobs, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall says the increased competition is what has him the most excited about training camp, which opens Friday morning at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J.
"I hope players are on edge," he said about those fighting for roster spots, "because they should be."
Message delivered: Produce or else.
The Flyers are going to get younger and faster this year. Theoretically, that should bring more energy to a lineup that looked stale as the team missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons in 2016-17.
The potential influx of prospects should make this one of the most intriguing training camps in recent memory.
"I think we're going to have a little different look," said all-star right winger Wayne Simmonds, who has been the definition of consistency in his six seasons with the Flyers. "I don't think we've had this young of a team going back to my first year here, so it'll be exciting."
Simmonds, 29, remembered his first year in the NHL, back in 2008-09 with Los Angeles.
"I know when I was a rookie, I was doing everything 100 miles an hour," he said with a smile. "I may not have been doing everything the right way, but you definitely give your maximum effort _ and I think that's good for the vets as well. It'll give us a little spark. We've got some youth, we've got some good veteran leadership, and I think it's going to turn out well."
Camp will get underway at 9:45 a.m. Friday, and two days later the Flyers will face the New York Islanders in an exhibition game at Nassau Coliseum. The NHL does things the right way. Unlike major-league baseball and the NFL, it doesn't have an interminably long preseason. It quickly gets into the exhibition games and then right into the season.
The Flyers' regular season starts Oct. 4, less than three weeks after camp opened. That means coach Dave Hakstol and his staff won't have lots of time to make some critical roster decisions.
Here are some of the questions facing the Flyers as camp opens:
Which rookies will make the team?
Favored: Defensemen Sam Morin and Robert Hagg, center Nolan Patrick, and left winger Oskar Lindblom.
Defenseman Travis Sanheim, who had an up-and-down performance in the Flyers' 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders in Wednesday's rookie game, and center Mike Vecchione are other first-year players with a reasonable chance to make the roster.
"No spots are predetermined," Hextall said. "Guys will have a chance to come in and earn it."
Will a goalie emerge as the clear go-to guy in camp?
Doubtful. The Flyers' brass seems content on having newcomer Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth divide the goaltending duties.
After a slow start last year, Elliott had a terrific second half (17-6-1 record, 2.24 GAA, .924 save percentage) and carried Calgary into the playoffs. The oft-injured Neuvirth had the NHL's worst save percentage (.891 ) among the 58 goalies who played at least 15 games last season, but, if healthy, he has a good track record.
Can Claude Giroux become an elite player again?
Before last year, Giroux was the NHL's top point producer over the previous six seasons. But off-season hip and abdominal surgery limited his effectiveness last year, when he managed just 14 goals and 58 points. He is totally healthy and appears to have regained his "jump."
"He knows he's a better player than he played last year," Hextall said.
If the Flyers are going to make the playoffs, they desperately need Giroux to look like his old self. He will turn 30 on Jan. 12. The clock is ticking.
Will Patrick, the second overall selection in the June draft, make the team and make a significant impact?
Yes, it says here.
At rookie camp, he showed no ill effects from his June abdominal surgery. There will be a learning curve, for sure, but he is big, strong, quick, and has great hockey instincts and passing ability, which he demonstrated in Wednesday's rookie game.
It would not be surprising if he won the No. 2 center spot in camp. That would make Giroux, Patrick, and Sean Couturier the top three centers.
Realistic first-year totals for Patrick: 16 goals, 46 points.
For those who think those projected numbers look pedestrian, consider this: Bobby Clarke had 15 goals and 46 points in his rookie year before his career took off.
Can centers Val Filppula and newcomer Jori Lehtera make smooth transitions to winger spots, if necessary?
Absolutely. Both have played wing in the past and both are comfortable whether in the middle or on the outside. Hextall said he sees no problems if they are shifted to wing.
What is the potential roster going to look like on Oct. 4 in San Jose?
Here's an educated guess:
Line 1: Giroux centering Travis Konecny and Jake Voracek.
Line 2: Patrick centering Lindblom and Simmonds.
Line 3: Couturier centering Jordan Weal and Filppula.
Line 4: Laughton centering Lehtera and Dale Weise.
Extras: Matt Read and Michael Raffl.
Defense: Ivan Provorov and Andrew MacDonald; Radko Gudas and Hagg; Shayne Gostisbehere and Morin.
Extra: Brandon Manning.
Goalies: Elliott and Neuvirth.
How much will the Flyers defense suffer because of its youth?
As this young group gets its collective feet wet, there will be growing pains. Lots of them. But by the second half of the season, look for vast improvement.
"I feel a lot more confident because those kids aren't 18- 19-year-old boys. I mean, they're all men now," Hextall said of a defense that could have four players with less than two years of NHL experience. "They've all done their time. Whether they're ready or not, they have to come in and prove it."
Who will win the fourth-line center spot?
Vecchione does not have to clear waivers to be sent down to Lehigh Valley. Laughton does. That gives Laughton the edge. Also working in Laughton's favor: He became defensively sound and had a solid season (19 goals in 60 games) when sent to the Phantoms last season.
Will last year's dismal season make the Flyers play with a chip on their shoulders?
Hextall thinks so. Ditto Simmonds, among many others.
"In the year-end meetings with our guys and talking to people in the summer, they're pretty disappointed in last year," Hextall said. "And when you have players who are genuinely disappointed in last year, they typically come in extremely hungry."
"We've got some guys in here who didn't perform the way they liked," Simmonds said, "and as a team, I know we didn't perform the way we liked. It's up to us, and only us, to get better."
