Giroux hopes to play Tuesday
Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who had finger surgery last month, said on Sunday the "plan" was for him to play in his first exhibition game Tuesday against the visiting New Jersey Devils.
Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who had finger surgery last month, said on Sunday the "plan" was for him to play in his first exhibition game Tuesday against the visiting New Jersey Devils.
On Monday, he seemed to back off a bit, saying his hand was still building strength.
"Like I said, there's no time line. Just be ready for Oct. 2 for the first game of the season, and if I get a couple games in, I get a couple games in," he said after a training-camp session at the Wells Fargo Center. "But today I felt really good and was able to battle a little more. I get frustrated a lot because I like to make plays I can't make right now. But like I said, the progress is going very well and there's a lot of time left here."
Giroux said he sometimes had difficulty making "some simple plays that I usually don't have to think about. When you go four weeks without using your hand, obviously the strength takes a while to get back. But you know it's gone a little faster than I thought, so that's really good."
Asked how he would respond if coach Peter Laviolette asked if he was ready to play Tuesday, Giroux said: "I mean, it's the preseason. It's different in the regular season. If this was the regular season, I'd have been playing a long time ago, but it's just making sure it's 100 percent and not taking a risk. We still have a week and half before the season, and I'd be not smart just to rush it."
If Giroux can play Tuesday, he would center the top line, with Scott Hartnell and Jake Voracek as his wingers.
The Flyers have their final three exhibition games this week, and they figure to make four more roster cuts.
In addition to finalizing his roster, Laviolette will use this week to get his line combinations and special-team units in order.
"In the end, the games are the best way to evaluate," he said.
Winger Wayne Simmonds missed Monday's practice with lingering effects of the flu, and his spot on the second line was divided by Michael Raffl and Chris VandeVelde, two players fighting for a roster spot.
Center Vinny Lecavalier, who had his own bout with the flu over the weekend, and winger Brayden Schenn were also on the second line.
The other lines: Sean Couturier centering Max Talbot and Matt Read, and Scott Laughton centering Adam Hall and Zac Rinaldo/Jay Rosehill.
The defensive pairings Monday: Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen; Luke Schenn and Mark Streit; Nick Grossmann and Andrej Meszaros; Erik Gustafsson and Hal Gill; and Bruno Gervais and Oliver Lauridsen.
Saluting the Bullies
The 1973-74 Flyers, the first NHL expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, will be honored by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association on the 40th anniversary of their first championship. The team will be saluted as part of the PSWA's 110th annual dinner Jan. 27 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill.
Tickets are available at www.pswa.org.