The Flyers’ new-look fourth line has been one of the few constants so far at training camp

Hockey training camps feature a lot of moving parts. Linemates can change on a daily basis, especially for preseason games, which almost always feature a mixed bag of veterans, prospects, and minor leaguers.

This Flyers camp is no different.

But it has had one constant so far: the presumed Flyers fourth line of Ryan Poehling centering Nicolas Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway.

It’s a new-look fourth line for the Flyers. Deslauriers is the only holdover from last season, his first in Philadelphia and 10th in the NHL. Looking to add a veteran to a rebuilding group, the Flyers signed Hathaway, 31, who started last season with Washington, finished on the best team in the league (Boston), and has appeared in the playoffs in each of his past five seasons.

Deslauriers and Hathaway are known for their physicality. The former led the league in fighting majors last season (14) and Hathaway has been known to drop the gloves a little bit himself — though he has a bit more offensive skill than a typical enforcer.

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“The opposition doesn’t like when they’re on the ice,” Flyers assistant coach Rocky Thompson said Friday morning ahead of the team’s preseason game in Boston, where the Deslauriers-Poehling-Hathaway trio was set to play its second exhibition contest together.

This isn’t just a line full of bruisers, though. Adding Poehling brings a somewhat different element. Poehling had the fastest recorded skating speed in the NHL last year at 24.32 mph. He’s known for his penalty killing ability, too.

“When a guy brings maybe a little bit something different than the guy next to him, I think that’s a way guys can complement each other,” Hathaway said.

He pointed to Poehling’s speed as an example.

“Having him in the middle, I think we’re starting to learn how we are and how we have to be defensively and how that’s going to help us transition,” Hathaway said. “His speed and puck control, his faceoffs, are going to be a big part of us getting the puck back, controlling the play, and hopefully doing what we want to do.”

The line looked solid in its preseason debut Wednesday against the Islanders, controlling the puck frequently in the Islanders’ zone against a team with plenty of NHL regulars in the lineup. Poehling eventually scored the team’s lone goal late in the third period, though not with his new linemates.

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All three players said they like the direction they’re heading in so far. It’s been a somewhat new experience, Hathaway said, since he started most of his past few training camps in Washington with regular linemates Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin.

How does a line get to know each other quickly?

“I think the biggest thing is trying to spend time off the ice and on the ice,” Hathaway said. “On the ice, you’re finding different tendencies that you might not have known playing against a guy or might not have seen how their brain thinks.

“The way a line like us can be successful is by anticipating what the other guy is going to do. And that starts with that chemistry. You play faster knowing where the puck is going to be, knowing how that guy is thinking, and where the space will be.”

Deslauriers, as the lone holdover, said he’s talked to his new linemates more about off-the-ice stuff so far.

“Those two guys are really fast, and they make me skate a little faster, too,” the enforcer said. “It’s a good mix. We’re three hardworking guys.”

Just ahead of the Flyers’ preseason game on Friday night against Boston, general manager Danny Brière announced the team had trimmed the roster down to 44 players.

The move, which represents the third roster tweak of training camp, saw the roster reduced by seven players. As part of the transaction, the team optioned forwards Alexis Gendron and Zayde Wisdom and defensemen Mason Millman, Ethan Samson, and Will Zmolek to Lehigh Valley of the AHL.

The team also released defenseman Adam Karashik and goaltender Nolan Maier from their professional tryouts. They also will report to the Phantoms. The Flyers started camp with 57 players, cut down to 52 on Tuesday, and then sent goalie Carson Bjarnason back to juniors on Thursday to get down to 51.

The Flyers roster currently sits at 44 players, with 26 forwards, 14 defensemen, and four goaltenders still in camp. On Oct. 12, the Flyers will open up the regular season in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.

Flyers defenseman Cam York practiced Friday with teammates after returning to the ice Thursday for a rehab skate. A minor injury kept him off the ice for a few days prior. York skated with a group of mostly AHL players. ... The Flyers play the second half of a back-to-back Saturday night at home vs. the Devils. Expect goalie Carter Hart to make his preseason debut in that game. ... Cam Atkinson is also expected to make his preseason debut Saturday night. He was slated to play in Monday’s opener before he was scratched because of lower-body soreness.

Staff writer Gustav Elvin contributed to this report.