After a long, busy summer, the Flyers open their preseason tonight in Toronto.
As is common with preseason games, the Flyers won't be dressing many players who are likely to start Game 1 in Boston, but they are dressing those battling for the final roster spots and first call ups. According to Canadian Press reporter Chris Johnston, the Flyers will be bringing Michael Nylander to the game. However, Sam Carchidi reports that Nylander won't be playing.
The lines tonight, as reported by Carchidi, will be:
Wellwood - Schenn - Simmonds
Rinaldo - Read - Voracek
van Riemsdyk - Couturier - Testwuide
Zolnierczyk - Mair - Sestito
Out of that group, only Simmonds, Voracek, and van Riemsdyk are locks to make the team. Schenn is highly likely to, but in total, that's only one third of the opening night roster playing.
Tonight will be important for the rest of those players, though. Sean Couturier is trying to force the Flyers into finding a contract for him, as is Adam Mair. Zac Rinaldo and Tom Sestito are battling for the chance to make the opening night roster as the 13th forward. Eric Wellwood, Matt Read, and Mike Testwuide are trying to win that 13th spot as well, but they are much more likely to be playing for the right to be the first injury call up.
On defense, Johnston reports that the Flyers will only be bringing one lock to make the roster - Matt Carle - while they are also carrying the four players trying to win the final two spots on defense. Andreas Lilja, Oskars Bartulis, Erik Gustafsson, and Matt Walker. Blake Kessel and Oliver Lauridsen, two players destined for Adirondack, are the other two on the trip.
In net, the Flyers will have Sergei Bobrovsky and Michael Leighton, both battling to be Ilya Bryzgalov's backup this season.
Tonight, the Flyers won't be gearing up for the regular season. Instead, they are dressing a lineup three-quarters filled with Phantoms. The take away from tonight will be spotting which players will be going to the AHL, and which will see time in the NHL this year.
The game will air on The Comcast Network at 7 p.m.