Flyers' roster a puzzle as camp winds down

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The mystery surrounding the Flyers roster becomes more intriguing as training camp winds down to the final two preseason games.

There are so many intangibles. Such as:

Jody Shelleys suspension
Injuries to Brayden Schenn and James van Riemsdyk
Competition among Matt Read, Zac Rinaldo and Sean Couturier
Whether the Flyers carry 22 or 23 players
The salary cap

General manager Paul Holmgren, in a surprising admission, said it was perfectly conceivable that Schenn and Couturier could be on the final roster which will be submitted next Wednesday at 3 p.m.

I dont think that it is out of the question, Holmgren replied, when asked how both players could fit on the roster given the 64.3 million salary cap. I dont think we can assume anything yet.

Right now, the Flyers have about 175,000 in cap space.

Among the moves, Holmgren kind of smiled in saying there are ways to do this and the hot rumor of the day was trading Scott Hartnells 4.2 million cap hit back to Nashville.

A club source said that the likelihood of a trade seemed "pretty good."

A trade right now seems extreme when the Flyers could simply leave a couple bodies off the roster they turn in, and make adjustments the day the season begins.

Yet the Flyers apparently want additional cap space. Hartnells salary makes him vulnerable, especially since some of his power play minutes appear to be shifting toward Wayne Simmonds direction.

As for Couturier, Holmgren didnt see a downside to keeping him around which further indicates some moves have to occur.

The cap number is a little bit of a slippery slope, he said. The more time he stays here, the better it is for him and the Flyers in the long run. Hes forced to play at a high tempo he would not get if sent back.

He gets an opportunity to play with guys who are NHL players on a daily basis, practices with them, and works with them. All of those things are good for him. Seeds can be planted. Things he can work on.

Whos farther ahead? Schenn or Couturier?

They both have been very good, Holmgren said. Weve been happy with both their games. Theyre kind of different players. Braydens got a little better more scoring ability. Sean is more of a well-rounded player. Probably looks to pass more than Brayden. I think highly of them both.

Two club sources have already stated that Matt Read is on the team. His preseason warrants it; his versatility to play effectively in a number of roles, including special teams, makes a case for itself.

In Shelleys absence (five regular season games), Zac Rinaldo needs to be here. Even though hes not a heavyweight, Rinaldo is the best fighter the club has.

Remember, Shelley counts against the cap if he is on the roster during a suspension unless the Flyers waived him for assignment to the Phantoms. Sources said the Flyers arent going to waive Shelley to get around the cap for a few days.

If you add Read to the roster and subtract Andreas Nodl, but retain Schenn and Couturier and go with just six defensemen, the Flyers are still over the cap by about 1.2 million. Doesnt work.

If you send Couturier back to juniors, and go with a seventh defenseman (Oskars Bartulis)which the Flyers really need to do given Chris Prongers uncertaintythe roster is still more than 424,000 over the cap.

When the season begins on Oct. 6, the Flyers plan to move Ian Laperriere (post-concussion syndrome) to long-term injury reserve, thereby giving them cap relief of 1.16 million.

But how do the Flyers get under the cap on Oct. 5 when the roster goes in?

The one alternative is remove one or two players from the roster thats submitted to the league on Oct. 5, then place those players back on the next morning when Laperriere moves to long-term injury.

Scenario: the roster that goes into the NHL on Oct. 5 would not show either Rinaldo or Bartulis. It would show Read, Schenn and Couturier.

On Oct. 6, when Laperriere goes on LTI, both Rinaldo and Bartulis return to the Flyers. That also then creates more than 267,000 in cap space.

Couturier can play 10 NHL games. At that point he either goes back to junior or stays. If he plays 11 games, his NHL contract counts against the 50 overall in the organization.

At present, Couturiers contract is not counting against the 50 and the Flyers are already maxed out.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net

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