Tortorella doesn’t need an eraser, jobs up for grabs and more on Flyers

Tortorella doesn’t need an eraser, jobs up for grabs and more on Flyers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

VOORHEES, N.J. — John Tortorella made it clear it’s still very early in the ballgame for the Flyers’ roster battles.

After a pair of exhibition games, the team held its fifth non-game day of training camp Thursday.

The Flyers were drubbed by the Devils in the preseason opener Monday after going through Tortorella’s well-known skating gauntlet and six combined scrimmages.

“That’s a game where some guys could barely put one foot in front of the other after the volume of skating we went through,” Tortorella said Thursday. “I know my general managers get mad at me about it, but I think it’s the proper way I like going about camp. The first couple of games, they’re hard for these guys because of the volume of skating.”

Wednesday’s second exhibition game against the Islanders was much more competitive for the Flyers.

Here’s what we saw over Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4 of camp, as well as Game 1 and Game 2 of the preseason.

With the evaluation set to pick up this weekend, let’s get into three observations from the latest at camp.

Health matters

The Flyers saw some good news Thursday as Cam Atkinson returned to practice. The 34-year-old winger was dealing with soreness from a lower-body injury, which had him scratched from the Flyers’ first exhibition game and held off the ice Wednesday.

“Full practice, ready to go,” Tortorella said. “Not sure where it sits with the games, but he’s ready to go.”

Atkinson said he’ll be playing in preseason games. Come Saturday, when the Flyers play their fourth preseason game and the first of three at home, the lineup should start to feature many more regulars.

Last season was completely wiped out for Atkinson, who battled a neck injury that required surgery in December.

“It has nothing to do with the injury that I had last year,” Atkinson said Thursday. “Just tough practices and a lot of volume skating. Sometimes I need a little bit more rest. I feel good, I felt great today and just keep grinding away here.”

Cam York, on the other hand, did not practice Thursday for a second straight day. However, he did go through a short rehab skate under the watchful eye of head athletic trainer Tommy Alva.

In the preseason opener, the 22-year-old defenseman played a game-high 22:17 minutes and blocked three shots.

Tortorella was unsure when York would rejoin the big club group but called him day to day.

Nothing settled

Coming into camp, the Flyers’ biggest question marks were on defense.

And that hasn’t changed.

How much younger will the Flyers actually look on the back end? Which prospect could unseat a veteran? What will the pairs be on opening night?

The Flyers had two separate practices Thursday. One was made up of 23 players and very much looked like the big club group. The second group featured some others on the roster bubble, young prospects and players under contract with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

Egor Zamula didn’t play in either of the first two preseason games. The Flyers went with inexperienced lineups for both. The 23-year-old made the season-opening roster last season, is no longer waivers exempt and was with the big club group Thursday.

But Tortorella warned against projecting at this stage of the race.

“He doesn’t have a job to lose. He has a job to try to win,” Tortorella said. “By no means is he penciled in, along with a number of people. But he’s going to get a look. We’re very interested in him, but a number of guys that you may think are penciled in, are not. He’ll get his opportunity.”

Zamula underwent surgery on his left shoulder in April. He has no restrictions now after being fully cleared ahead of camp.

“Which is really encouraging,” Tortorella said. “Before even camp opened, we weren’t sure when he was going to be able to have contact. Right from the get-go, he has been allowed, he has been cleared, so that’s really good because he’s way ahead of schedule.”

The Flyers have always liked how well Zamula sees the ice. His outlet passing and smooth skating stride are intriguing. His biggest hurdle has always been a lack of strength.

Zamula stayed in the area all summer for his recovery and offseason training. The 6-foot-3 undrafted product said he now weighs 200 pounds. He was 160 pounds in 2018 when the Flyers invited him to training camp on an amateur tryout.

“The work all summer to get stronger,” he said Thursday, “I think that was my biggest problem for the last two years.”

He’ll have a good chance to be the Flyers’ sixth or seventh defenseman. Prospects Emil Andrae, Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning were with the non-NHL group Thursday, while offseason signing Victor Mete was with the main group.

In the Flyers’ picture up front, Tyson Foerster essentially started his push for a lineup spot last season. He turned some heads, the most important one being Tortorella, when he was a called up for an eight-game audition in March.

The 21-year-old winger is arguably the top prospect in camp and has one of the best shots in the organization. But, while he was with the big club group Thursday, there’s no doubt he still has work to do. Foerster didn’t score in the two rookie games, was solid overall in the scrimmages and played in the Flyers’ 6-0 preseason-opening loss.

“We certainly were impressed with him last year when he came up, but nothing’s for free,” Tortorella said. “He’s still trying to find his way and earn his way here. You just don’t throw things away because it’s a new year. When you’re developing young players, you have to look at that stuff as far as how he handled himself.

“But is he penciled in? Absolutely not. … There are a couple of guys that have kind of surprised me that I didn’t expect to be on the screen for me, that have kind of had a really good camp. That all weighs into it.

“So Tyson has just got to keep on staying about his business and fight for his job.”

Wade Allison was with the big club group Thursday. Tanner Laczynski was not despite having a nice camp so far. It’s still early, though, as Tortorella has mentioned. Everything will pick up as the Flyers get into the back half of the exhibition slate.

Samu Tuomaala has opened eyes by utilizing his top-end speed to get after it on the forecheck. The 2021 second-round winger is projected to be with the Phantoms this season but earned a look with the big club group Thursday.

Backup battle

Samuel Ersson, Cal Petersen and Felix Sandstrom are competing for the Flyers’ No. 2 goalie job behind Carter Hart.

Tortorella and the club’s decision-makers rely on goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh for a lot of their evaluation.

Petersen, who the Flyers acquired during June in the Ivan Provorov trade, surrendered five of the six goals in the team’s preseason opener. Four of them came in the first 5:50 minutes of the game. The Flyers didn’t give him much help.

“It was such a gong show in front of him, it’s hard to look good,” Tortorella said. “But, still, when you’re trying to fight for that No. 2 spot, you’ve got to find a way to come up with one save or two saves along the way there. Not that he wasn’t trying.”

Tortorella will be watching closely to see how Petersen responds mentally in his next game.

The Flyers have been high on Ersson since last preseason. Among the three backup candidates, he’s the only one who is still waivers exempt. If the Flyers were to send Petersen and/or Sandstrom to Lehigh Valley, they would have to clear waivers.

“Sooner or later, you’ve got to start moving by that stuff,” Tortorella said. “It’s kind of unfair when we want to talk about merit and not stay with merit right on through no matter what position it is. … There are some situations, in my mind, and not just the goaltending, but some other situations where there could be some surprises if it continues, based on merit.”

Petersen turns 29 years old next month and has 94 career NHL starts. He has a bigger cap hit at $5 million for each of the next two seasons, which could keep teams from trying to claim him.

“I certainly have to listen to my general manager when it comes to waivers,” Tortorella said. “You don’t want to lose some of your depth within your organization, but, for me, what far outweighs that, is the guy better? Has the guy played better? In my heart, that’s what I go by.”

With four exhibition games left, the Flyers still have a lot to watch in net. And everywhere else.

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