Flyers preseason takeaways: Noah Cates continues to impress; major questions remain at center

A strong start followed by a losing streak and a string of key injuries — stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

Five games in, the Flyers’ preseason preparation has seemed like a microcosm of last season, just with different faces behind the bench. There was a burst of positivity after a preseason-opening win over the Boston Bruins. But since then, the Flyers have lost four straight and been outscored, 11-3.

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The Flyers can argue or take some solace in the fact that they have yet to field their complete roster, but the stars who have played — such as Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny — haven’t made huge impacts. That said, there are also reasons to worry about the key names who haven’t played — Sean Couturier (back), Joel Farabee (neck), Ryan Ellis (groin/hip area) — because they’re dealing with injuries and have no set dates for their returns. If this is a continuation of last year, “week-to-week” might actually mean “month-to-month.”

John Tortorella isn’t worried about the team’s preseason results. Rather, he’s searching for individual effort. It’s hard to judge that effort since the players have been run ragged, but in three straight games, the team has withered away after strong first periods.

Factoring in that it is just the preseason and that there’s been little consistency with the rosters or structure, here are a few things the first five games have revealed:

While everyone else has had their moments of good and bad, young Noah Cates has impressed all training camp long. His consistency is not new — he played well in 16 games with the Flyers after leaving college last season — but it’s proof that last spring’s small sample is indeed indicative of the whole.

» READ MORE: Cates brothers’ unbreakable bond has carried them from their Minnesota basement to the Flyers

Cates prides himself on doing the little things right, and it’s paying off both in games and in practices, with the coaches taking notice. He took his NHL debut and used it to shape his offseason, coming back in incredible shape. While he noted how tiring practices have been, it hasn’t impacted his play in games the same way it has others.

In four preseason games, Cates has contributed in all phases of the game. He was on the two power plays that have scored goals and has made a nuisance of himself on the penalty kill. In a preseason when none of the veterans has stood out, Cates has been the most impressive player and seems like a roster lock at this point.

There are question marks all over the lineup, but the biggest hole is up the middle of the ice.

Even with a healthy Couturier, there were questions at center, but with him out injured, projected second-line center Hayes is the only lock and will move up to the top line at least for the time being. Winger-by-trade Scott Laughton will also likely move to center, but the competition for the second-, third-, and fourth-line center spots still wages on.

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Twenty-five-year-old Jackson Cates has been a name that’s been mentioned by coaches repeatedly. He has shown a quiet consistency and he’s in great shape, especially considering that he’s coming back from a scary injury when he crashed into the boards in March. His innate chemistry with his brother may also give him a leg up on the competition. However, his brother is also in contention for the spot. Tortorella tested Noah, normally a winger, at center on Saturday and he didn’t miss a beat.

Morgan Frost, 23 has not played with the consistency of either Cates brother, but he has had the most productive preseason. He leads the team in points with three assists and has started to flash the skill that made him a first-round draft pick in 2017. Once he’s fully adjusted to the conditioning Tortorella has put them through, and the defensive responsibility the coach demands, he may be able to build on that.

Like Jackson Cates, Tanner Laczynski, 25, is coming back from injury. He hasn’t jumped out, but he has done the right things as he continues to fight for a fourth-line role.

Finally, veteran Artem Anisimov is still in the mix on a professional tryout, although he is currently injured and has played only one preseason game. However, the 34-year-old has plenty of experience and has a history with Tortorella from their time together in New York that may help him.

Cam York, 21, is still young enough to attend Flyers development camp, but his youth isn’t going to get him any passes with his new coaches.

“He puts himself in a jam because he has so much ability,” Tortorella said. “And he’s going to go through a process with us, with this staff, in us asking for it now.”

York’s had a solid preseason, but the coaches want more than solid. They put him to the test Sunday. In the first period alone, he played 9 minutes, 37 seconds, and he finished the game with 24:12 of ice time. Only Tony DeAngelo, his defensive partner, played more, and 24 minutes is well above what top-pair defenseman Ivan Provorov averaged last season.

So far, York has demonstrated his offensive ability, helping the team move the puck through the neutral zone. However, he has struggled at times defensively, and assistant coach Brad Shaw said York has to get to a point where he’s “not just lethal in the offensive zone.”

The Flyers won’t give up on York, the initial first-round pick made by general manager Chuck Fletcher’s staff, but they’re going to be pushing him to see if he can step up to the challenge and make himself part of the plan for the team’s future success. It remains to be seen if that includes York starting the season with the big club.