VOORHEES, NJ – With a large crowd watching Saturday, a not-so-happy John Tortorella came down and stopped the action.
The Flyers head coach was not happy with the second scrimmage of the morning. Leaving his perch, Tortorella brought the two groups together, as far away from the fans as possible, and gave his campers such a solid ear.
Get it.
The action continues and the Flyers continue to wrap up Day 3 of training camp, which includes an event for the team’s season-ticket holders.
Let’s examine three observations from the Flyers Training Center’s latest.
Avoidance of Torts
Tortorella was good in the opening scrimmage last Saturday. There’s energy, there’s physicality, there’s tension.
The second scrimmage…
“It’s maddening,” Tortorella said. “But the first group was good.”
What did he say to motivate his players?
“I’m saying this to them, not you,” Tortorella said.
Fair enough.
It wasn’t the first time Tortorella broke up a scrimmage in his coaching career. Sometimes it’s necessary when teammates are asked to be adversaries.
“I don’t think it’s uncommon,” Tortorella said. “Because now they’re all down there eating together and they’re hanging out together, I know that. But you’ve got to get on with your job. Guess it gets better as it goes on. It’s not about hurt anybody or do something stupid, but you have to get on with your job. I heard the first part of that, they didn’t.”
First shot at top pair?
Cam York had a great day. He sniped a couple of goals. The first was from long range by Carter Hart after York maneuvered around the blue line to find a lane.
It looks like the Flyers want to give the 22-year-old defenseman a chance to be a top-pair guy in his natural side. York on Saturday played with right-hander Rasmus Ristolainen. That would be the Flyers’ top-pair look to open the preseason.
“I thought Risto was probably one of our best players last year,” Tortorella said. “Where the pairs settle, I don’t know.”
The Flyers know York is a big part of their future as they try to find some stability at home in the backfield. Tortorella talked about the responsibility of developing the 2019 first-round pick by putting him in the right places.
“I know what I want and it’s obviously going to play a big role, playing a lot of minutes every night,” York said Friday. “My goal this week is to try and earn that.”
After opening last season with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, York was called up in December and has not returned. He played 19:39 minutes per game and had 20 points (two goals, 18 assists) in 54 games. Tortorella believes York took a dip in part because the Flyers played him on his off side.
“I think Yorky’s, it came after the minor leagues when he was sent down, it was a very good game,” said Tortorella. “I thought he put himself in a bad spot, I didn’t think he played well last quarter, so he’s got work to do, too.
Ristolainen has received more minutes this season.
“Everybody wants to play as much as possible,” he said. “Right now, I’m having a lot of fun playing with Yorky.”
The injured defenseman has a busy battle against the Flyers’ projected fourth line of Nicolas Deslauriers, Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway. At one point, Deslauriers and Hathaway clashed with Ristolainen. To York’s credit, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder didn’t shy away from putting himself in the scuffle to defend his teammate.
Ristolainen and Deslauriers were teammates in Buffalo when they both entered the NHL.
“We know each other from 10 years ago,” said Ristolainen, “so it’s always good fights and this is one of today.”
Big bubble day
Roster hopefuls Tanner Laczynski and Wade Allison had strong performances in the first scrimmage.
Laczynski is a 26-year-old center who played 32 games for the Flyers last season as a rookie. He had a goal and an assist from scrimmage. The bottom six option is very active in his preparation and getting to the net.
Allison, a winger who also fought for his role, scored a goal assisted by Laczynski and did a lot of good things.
“We’re two bubble players, right?” Allison said. “So we have to push for the lineup and show them that we belong there and that we deserve to be here. I think it’s a good day for both of us.”
Laczynski, Allison and 21-year-old prospect Tyson Foerster are battling for what could be the final spot up front in the Flyers’ season-opening lineup. Currently, Foerster plays on a line with Noah Cates and Scott Laughton.
“There is no gray area where the players sit a little bit here, especially [Laczynski and Allison],” said Tortorella. “I don’t think it should be explained to them. I don’t keep reminding people. Eventually they have to take it on themselves. That’s the only way you can learn about people, if they decide to take on a challenge in the position they’re in in this organization. I don’t think I need to remind many people. “
Allison, who played 60 games last season, had no problem competing.
“I don’t want anything to be handed to me,” he said. “I want to work for it. That’s what I got here in this camp, that’s what I got at the last camp, this is what I’ve got all my life. It’s just a part of it now, this is the way to go , that’s how I expect it to be.”
Bonus pucks
• Sean Couturier’s defensive game is elite.
• Tortorella wants to see players who are not afraid to make mistakes but manage the risks.
“We had something written there, ‘Safe death,'” Tortorella said. “We don’t want to be safe. But there are certain times when you have to settle yourself and make a quick play. go on the offensive.
“It’s a game of mistakes. It’s getting younger and there are a lot of mistakes. You have to live with them and you have to turn around. If you don’t turn around, you lose your mind and then you -buckle up your players where they tighten their sticks.”
The motto “safety is death” was born in Tampa Bay when Tortorella coached the Lightning. Craig Ramsay, the former Flyers coach and Tortorella’s assistant in Tampa Bay, coined the phrase.
“He has a unique way of teaching through storytelling and those kinds of one-liners and like that, he’s very good with the players,” Tortorella said. “I learned a ton from him. Two different coaches. to change the mindset of an athlete.”
• Prospect Zayde Wisdom scored his second goal in as many days.
Egor Zamula, who is competing for a place in the defensive picture of the Flyers, also made a goal on a sharp deke.
• The Deslauriers hit everything in sight during the first scrimmage. Like Deslauriers, Hathaway is a team-first guy who likes to get under the opponent’s skin.
“That line played well,” Tortorella said. “Hathaway impressed me right from the start. She knows how to do it a certain way and that’s hard all the time. our kids.”
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