Four key questions for the Flyers ahead of new coach John Tortorella’s first training camp
Training camp starts Thursday and there are several key questions the Flyers still need to answer. Our beat reporters tackled some of the most pressing issues around the team ahead of camp.
Flyers hockey is officially back.
The Flyers will open up training camp on Thursday, as they aim to start anew and rinse off the stink of last season’s disappointing and injury-marred 25-46-11 campaign.
New coach John Tortorella is the man tasked with turning things around and getting the Flyers back to being competitive, which will be no easy task. Camp will mark the first chance for Tortorella, who is known for his tough training camps, to meet and evaluate many of his players up close.
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Ahead of Day 1, we had Giana Han and Olivia Reiner answer some of the key questions surrounding the Flyers entering camp.
What should the Flyers players expect from a Tortorella-run training camp?
GH: Expecting the worst probably isn’t far from the truth. Cam Atkinson, one of two Flyers (alongside camp invitee Artem Anisimov) with previous experience under Tortorella, said he already knows what a Tortorella camp is like, but he still gets nervous. And it never turns out to be better than he expected. He added that former Blue Jacket Nick Foligno is making fun of him for having to go through a Tortorella camp again.
There will be lots of hard skating with an emphasis on learning to perform under pressure and while tired, Atkinson said. Tortorella sent an email outlining his expectations, and many of the players asked players with experience for advice, so they’re all well-aware that they’ll have to be in better-than-outstanding condition to survive camp.
Which veteran player do you believe is under the most pressure to impress entering camp this season?
GH: While James van Riemsdyk finished the season as the team’s leading goal scorer with 24, it took him a while to warm up, and most of his goals came at a point in the season when results no longer mattered. . Van Riemsdyk has one of the most expensive contracts on the team, but he hasn’t regularly played up to his price tag. If he wants to earn consistent ice time and another lucrative contract, he’ll have to be more consistent than last season.
OR: Kevin Hayes. With center Sean Couturier expected to miss some time with an upper-body injury, Hayes is likely to be called upon to move up to the first line. He did that last season, too, however, he was dealing with injuries of his own that hindered his play.
Hayes finally started to look like himself again toward the end of the season. In his last 28 games, Hayes scored seven goals and registered 15 assists while averaging 19:25 of ice time. The Flyers need him to play to his $7.14 million annual compensation and prove he’s capable of producing at a high level, being defensively responsible, and staying healthy.
The Flyers already are down a few bodies with Ryan Ellis, Sean Couturier, Bobby Brink, and Joel Farabee injured to start camp. Which young players do you think could take advantage of that and potentially earn an opening-night roster spot?
GH: Forwards Tanner Laczynski, Tyson Foerster, and Wade Allison were expected to make an impact last season, but injuries held them back. Now that they’re healthy, they may be able to take advantage of the others’ injury misfortune.
They’ll be competing with the likes of Morgan Frost, who had an up-and-down season last year, Owen Tippett, and impressive rookie Noah Cates. Defensively, Ronnie Attard may have a shot, but they also may go with Justin Braun and Cam York on the third pairing to start.
OR: Cates and Allison. First, regarding Cates — the Flyers are hurting for left wingers right now. The organizational depth just isn’t there (assuming Scott Laughton will play center with Couturier out injured) and Farabee’s injury only strains it further.
Cates has a real chance to slot in the middle six if he has a strong camp and preseason. Allison has a more complicated path to the opening-night roster, seeing as the Flyers have more bona fide NHL players at right wing. But if Allison can stay healthy, he could have an opportunity to compete for a bottom-six role in camp.
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The Flyers don’t have a set backup goaltender entering the season. How do you see that competition shaking out behind Carter Hart?
OR: The Flyers’ current situation at backup goaltender is kind of mind-boggling.
There are realistically two players in competition for the job: 33-year-old Troy Grosenick and 25-year-old Felix Sandström. Samuel Ersson, 22, will also be at camp competing on the periphery, but he’s coming off of a groin injury that limited him to five games with the Phantoms last season. Together, Grosenick and Sandström have combined for nine NHL starts (five for Sandström, four for Grosenick).
Even though Sandström is still looking for his first NHL win, I thought he looked solid in his starts last year, especially in his NHL debut against the San Jose Sharks (a 3-2 overtime loss in which he made 43 saves). Grosenick has 288 games of AHL experience spanning 10 years (2.50 goals against average, .914 save percentage), while Sandström has played 57 games over the last five years (2.93 goals against average, .904 save percentage). Even though Grosenick lacks NHL experience, he still has a lot of professional experience, which may make him the most logical candidate for the backup role behind Hart.