Here are five things to watch in the preseason opener:
1. Opportunities for young players
The Flyers are in dire need of multiple young players — rookies and young veterans alike — to step up this season. Right from the outset of the preseason, these players are going to be challenged to take advantage of opportunities to win roster spots, gain increased 5-on-5 ice time and/or greater special teams deployment.
New Flyers head coach John Tortorella said on Friday that general manager Chuck Fletcher and assistant general manager Brent Flahr (with input from the team’s scouts) will be the ones who will set the team’s lineup for the first three preseason games. This will enable management to select the specific players that it wants to assess from the outset.
None of the veteran players who are locked for the roster will be in Saturday’s lineup. This includes the likes of Kevin Hayes, Cam Atkinson, Travis Konecny, James van Riemsdyk, Scott LaughtonNic Deslauriers, Ivan Provorov, Tony DeAngelo, Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, Justin Braun and goaltender Carter Hart.
Instead, the Flyers give players such as forwards Owen Tippett, Noah Cates, Morgan Frost, Wade Allison, Tanner Laczynskia 2020 first-round pick Tyson Foerster, Hayden Hodgson and Jackson Catesas well as defensemen Cam York, Ronnie Attardand Egor Zamula the chance to show they can step up and impress in the starting lineup.
Projected Flyers Lineup:
Lycksell – Frost – Tippett
Roussel – Laczynski – Allison
N. Cates – J. Cates -Foerster
Willman – Anisimov – Hodgson
York – Attard
Zamula – Seeler
Connaughton – Belpedio
2. Veteran tryout players Anisimov and Roussel
Two longtime NHL players who will be in the Flyers’ lineup for the preseason opener: two-way center Artem Anisimov and agitating left winger Antoine Roussel. The 34-year-old Anisimov (771 NHL regular season games, 43 Stanley Cup playoff games) and the 32-year-old Roussel (607 NHL regular season games, 36 Stanley Cup playoff games) are both in Flyers camp on professional tryouts.
Anisimov centered Konecny and van Riemsdyk in Friday’s first scrimmage. Although Tortorella cautioned fans and media not to read anything into scrimmage or early preseason lineups in terms of roster assessments, the fact that Tortorella previously coached Anisimov with the Rangers, praised his hockey smarts and versatility and gave him an immediate chance to play alongside two players. who are NHL roster locks at least suggests that Arisimov has a fighting chance at earning an NHL contract. In Saturday’s game against the Bruins, Anisimov will be looked at in more of a checking oriented role than he played in the first scrimmage.
The potential long-term absence of the injured Sean Couturier also creates a need for another center with extensive NHL experience playing in a wide variety of game situations (including both penalty killing and power play duty) in the past. Thus, Anisimov will play in various different spots in the lineup during the preseason. Later, he may even see time on a wing.
Roussel’s path to earning an NHL contract with the Flyers faces its share of potential roadblocks. He’s competing for an NHL roster spot with numerous younger wingers including Noah Cates, Allison, Hodgson and others.
Roussel’s scrimmage day placement with linemates Jackson Cates and Charlie Gerard is less notable than with whom Anisimov played. While scrimmages are meaningless in terms of statistics (which aren’t officially kept), Roussel did score a goal in the second scrimmage on Friday after the puck got past Sanheim and Roussel opportunistically pounced and scored.
Veteran depth defenseman Kevin Connaughton, whom the Flyers claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers last season and re-signed with the organization (albeit on a two-way contract) is also in camp. He will try to unseat incumbent No. 7 defenders Nick Seeler for an NHL roster spot. If not, he’ll go down to the Phantoms as a veteran leader on a largely youthful blueline and serve as a potential callup option should Seeler or another D get injured.
3. Den glider In
Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere joked during Rookie Camp that there will be such an extensive contingent of Swedish players on his team in 2022-23 that the organization is considering changing the Phantoms’ color scheme to the blue and yellow of the Swedish flag and the Swedish national team.
The preseason opener at the Wells Fargo Center will feature three position players and one or two goalies dressed for the Flyers: forwards Olle Lycksell and Linus Sandindefenseman Linus Högberg and at least one among goaltenders Felix Sandström and/or Samuel Ersson. The Flyers will also dress veteran goalie Troy Grosenek, who is competing with Sandström for an opening night NHL roster spot as Hart’s backup.
Lycksell had an outstanding Rookie Camp and Rookie Series last week. Keep in mind, however, that the 23-year-old has had four years of top-level pro experience in Sweden’s SHL. That gave him a competitive edge over many of the less experienced Flyers hopefuls in Rookie Camp as well as the New York Rangers prospects who opposed the Flyers in the Rookie Series. The challenge now is to show he can stand out among established NHL/AHL players. Lycksell had two goals and an assist in Friday’s first intrasquad scrimmage.
4. Coach Lappy
Laperriere and his Lehigh Valley assistant coaches Jason Smith and Riley Armstrong will be behind the bench for the Flyers both for this game and Tuesday’s game in Buffalo against the Sabres. John Tortorella and his NHL assistant coaches Brad Shaw, Rocky Thompson and Darryl Williams will observe from the press box.
“Lappy” and his Phantoms staff coached both halves of the Rookie Series last weekend. They were also in charge of all the drills at Rookie Camp, which ran from Sept. 15 to 18.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: The Legion of Monty
The Bruins have a new head coach behind the bench in 2022-23. Jim Montgomery has taken over as head coach, replacing Bruce Cassidy (now coaching the Vegas Golden Knights).
Montgomery previously served as the head coach of the Dallas Stars, bringing much needed structure and accountability to what had been a talented but underachieving club. Unfortunately, personal problems resulted in Montgomery’s coaching tenure in Dallas being cut short. He subsequently took control of his off-ice life. Montgomery served as an assistant coach under Craig Berube in St. Louis, and is now getting an opportunity to return to head coaching.
“Monty” is a familiar name and face to long-time Flyers fans. In the mid-1990s, he was a depth forward on the NHL club during the Terry Murray era. It was Montgomery who nicknamed the dominant trio of Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mikael Renberg as “the Legion of Doom”‘; a sobriquet that stuck for the line among literally dozens of suggestions. Later, as a member of the Philadelphia Phantoms, Montgomery was a key veteran player in the team’s Calder Cup championship winning 1997-98 season under head coach Bill Barber.
The Bruins’ game night roster is below, alongside Philadelphia’s.
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