Now at the midway point of the preseason.
Which players have seen their stock rise and fall?
Stock up
Oskar Lindblom
He’s carried over the confidence from the prospect game straight into training camp. Playing with Corban Knight and Scott Laughton, Lindblom scored two goals and added an assist Wednesday, which may have solidified his place on the opening night roster. In addition, Lindblom has also shown he can be reliable on special teams, logging 7:34 of power-play and penalty-kill time in the 6-4 win (see story).
Scott Laughton
Versatile and prepared, Laughton has been a workhorse along the boards and on the penalty kill, playing physically while also chipping in some offense. He's played left and right wing throughout the preseason and has looked comfortable on both sides, which will give Dave Hakstol options in October.
Anthony Stolarz
I had very little expectations for Stolarz considering how little he’s played coming off knee surgery last September. After Alex Lyon went down in pregame warmups, Stolarz stifled the Islanders Tuesday at Barclays Center, stopping 31 of 32 shots. He’s putting in the diligent work during practice and now he’s re-entered the conversation as a solid backup to Carter Hart, not just with the Phantoms this season, but down the road with the Flyers.
Stock down
NHL
Dale Weise
You don't expect a nine-year veteran to make glaring turnovers that lead to goals and prime scoring chances, but that’s what Weise gave us Wednesday against the Rangers. Hakstol presented Weise with a prime opportunity, playing alongside Claude Giroux and Mikhail Vorobyev, and while he was able to chip in a power-play goal, the costly errors are much more glaring.
Mike Vecchione
As a 25-year-old, I expected Vecchione to be one of the experienced rookies to come in and make a statement, but he's had a very quiet camp. There was an outside opportunity to make the team as a fourth-line forward, but that won’t happen now. Vecchione’s only preseason action was just over 10 minutes in the opener at the Wells Fargo Center, and we’ve seen several younger players pass him up on the depth chart.
Christian Folin
If injuries to Andrew MacDonald and Travis Sanheim persist, the Flyers will need Folin to step in and provide some minutes. Playing 20-plus minutes on back-to-back nights, Folin turned in a solid game against the Islanders but was exposed against the Rangers. He was caught out of position for a goal and spent much of the third period chasing a quicker Rangers team in the defensive zone. Perhaps some of that was playing with 18-year-old Yegor Zamula. Still, there’s concern if Folin has to play that much in the regular season.