‘It is a window of opportunity for me’: Finally healthy, center Tanner Laczynski eager to make a push for the Flyers roster

At the end of the Flyers’ 20-minute morning skate on Saturday ahead of their game against the Boston Bruins, players gradually exited the rink and headed back to the locker room. A few familiar players lingered on the ice, including center Tanner Laczynski and winger Wade Allison, firing slapshots onto an empty net.

Laczynski and Allison are used to spending extra time on the ice together, often solo. Last season, they both dealt with injuries — again — that limited their time with the Phantoms. Early in the year as Laczynski worked his way back from offseason hip surgery and Allison rehabbed an ankle injury sustained in camp, the duo pushed each other through grueling rehab skates.

“It’s just support factor from both of us, kind of just give and take,” Laczynski, 25, said. “Some days, he’d be good. Some days, I’d be good. Some days we’d both be kind of down in the dumps, and then we just lift each other up. But it was good. It was good to have each other during that time.”

Now, Laczynski and Allison are fully healthy at training camp and have opportunities to earn roles on the Flyers’ opening-night roster. Once hampered by injuries himself, Laczynski in particular has the chance to take advantage of the Flyers’ lack of depth up the middle because of injuries to top-line center Sean Couturier and fourth-line center Patrick Brown. Both players are week-to-week and their timelines to return to the lineup are unknown.

“I’ve been on that side and it [stinks], but it is a window of opportunity for me,” Laczynski said. “I’m looking forward to show what I can do, offensively and defensively as well.”

» READ MORE: Flyers’ Travis Konecny shows off in scrimmage before sprinting more on Day 2 of John Tortorella’s training camp

But Laczynski hasn’t had many opportunities to flaunt his offensive skill and defensive details in front of the Flyers’ front office. He had surgery in April 2021 on a torn labrum in his right hip and missed training camp last season after undergoing surgery on his left hip. Laczynski sat out the previous training camp while working his way back from core muscle surgery. He returned to the Phantoms’ lineup in February, finishing the season with 28 games played in the AHL (seven goals, 10 assists) and one game in the NHL.

“Summers for him have been crazy,” Phantoms head coach Ian Laperrière said. “This past summer has been a normal one. That’s the one he could put some gain on his on his frame. He looks great. He feels great. I’m actually excited to see him play. Wade Allison’s in the same boat. These are kids that had bad luck in the past couple of years. They had a really, really strong summer it shows in the skating test in the first couple of days.”

Laczynski will skate on the Flyers’ third line alongside Allison in Saturday night’s game as they look to use their chemistry on and off the ice to their advantage. With the eyes of the Flyers’ front office intently watching his every on-ice decision, Laczynski is ready to prove he can make a consistent impact at the NHL level.

Flyers fans will have to be patient when it comes to seeing head coach John Tortorella make his debut behind the bench. For the first two games of the preseason, including the opener against the Bruins and their Tuesday matchup at the Buffalo Sabres, Laperrière and his coaching staff will coach the Flyers. Assistant coaches Brad Shaw, Darryl Williams, and Rocky Thompson will coach the following two games against the Washington Capitals (Sept. 28) and at the Bruins (Oct. 1).

Tortorella will assume his position behind the bench with his full NHL coaching staff for the final two preseason games at the New York Islanders (Oct. 2) and against the Islanders again (Oct. 4). By giving the Phantoms staff and his assistants some time behind the bench, Tortorella can watch the games from above.

“That gives us an opportunity, at least for me, to really take a long look from upstairs, because I like looking at intangibles,” Tortorella said. “I like looking at the things that go on away from the play. And the only way you can see that is upstairs.”

General manager Chuck Fletcher and his staff will construct the Flyers’ lineup for the first three games of the preseason. For the first game, he’s put an emphasis on giving the Flyers’ youth an opportunity to showcase their talents, with a lineup featuring Morgan Frost, Olle Lycksell, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, and Noah Cates. Professional tryout center Artem Anisimov and left winger Antoine Roussel also will play their first games in Orange and Black.

» READ MORE: John Tortorella’s first Flyers training camp begins with a test in both physical and ‘mental toughness’

Goalies Felix Sandström and Troy Grosenick will split Saturday’s game (7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia+), with Sandström in net to start. Sandström and Grosenick are the primary contenders for the Flyers’ backup role behind starter Carter Hart.