Despite virus, full steam ahead for Fletcher, Flyers
Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said earlier this week that he anticipates a 23-man roster for the upcoming 56-game regular season, which for his team kicks off Jan. 13 against Pittsburgh at fan-free Wells Fargo Center.
With the AHL still on hold for the time being, and considering a packed schedule offering many travel challenges to basically everywhere but the East Division – in which the fortunate Flyers will reside – it is expected each team will have a “taxi squad” of minor leaguers and prospects practicing with the club and providing assistance down the road if needed.
The Flyers will undergo team physicals Jan. 3 at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J., and will conduct a first practice and scrimmage session on the ice there the next day. It will be a condensed training camp there prior to their season opener.
“The taxi squad’s basically going to be our top recalled players that will physically be in our own little bubble at Voorhees with us,” Fletcher said. “It will depend on performance in training camp, obviously the health of our roster and where we may need to fill. We have enough cap flexibility to easily carry 23, so we’ll build the taxi squad around those 23, in terms of performance in camp, (and the) health of our club.”
The Flyers will carry a third goalie behind Carter Hart and Brian Elliott, both of whom will see a lot of games.
Similar to what head coach Alain Vigneault proclaimed last week, Fletcher said he is hopeful that his two important forwards who missed so much time in 201920, Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom, will be able to deepen his club’s ranks.
Lindblom missed most of the season after being diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, and Patrick hasn’t played a real game in some 20 months with ongoing concussion issues which his bosses say have greatly dissipated.
“Oskar, I’ll start with him, he’s doing really well,” Fletcher said. “Obviously, he was cleared to return to play in the (playoffs), and he played two games there. Since that time, he’s had a tremendous offseason. He’s been able to rebuild his body, if you will, and regain some of the muscle mass he lost during his treatments last spring and summer. He’s in really good shape physically.
“Nolan, I watched him skate today. He’s an amazingly talented young man. He looked great. Feels good. Again, we’ll wait for the doctors to meet with him for the preseason physical. Life is unpredictable. We certainly saw that last year.”
That fact of life is only heightened during a pandemic, which is raging across the U.S. at record high levels just as the NHL plunges ahead with its delayed season plan. Fletcher said his team will be constantly reminded of safety protocols.
“It’s always good to understand what the protocols are and what the rules are,” he said. “We’ll remind people. I’m sure there will be a little bit of a transition, but we’ll certainly make sure they’re aware of all the rules and regulations. The players understand. They get it. They understand how important it is to stay out of harm’s way and stay healthy so we can complete this season. Obviously we’ll work closely with them to make sure that everyone has all the information they need.”
Fletcher all but struck down the notion of looking to increase his club’s depth via free agency, yet did say, “you never know with trades. (But) it’s been relatively quiet, at least on our front.
“We like our team; we like our group,” Fletcher added. “We like the fact that we have a little bit of cap space to make adjustments as we may need to in-season. I think that would be a fine route to go for us. Let’s see what we have in camp. Let’s see how some of these players perform and get into the season. I’m sure there will be surprises, both positive and negative that we have to deal with. We should have the ability to do those things in a proactive manner if need be once the season starts.”