Which is why the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Betts, much to his dismay, was offered only a tryout contract by a half-dozen teams.

He picked the Flyers, and might have the inside track to being a defensive specialist and, perhaps more important, a solid face-off man in late-game situations - a Philadelphia weakness last season.

Betts was among the players taking part in fitness-testing yesterday, the veterans' first day of camp at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. On-ice practices will start today.

Betts suffered a broken orbital bone below his right eye and a concussion when he was leveled by Washington's Donald Brashear during Game 6 of last season's playoffs. Betts was unconscious for a few minutes and briefly lost his memory.

He later was medically cleared by the Rangers before the free-agency period started on July 1. He recently was cleared by the Flyers' medical staff.

Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Claude Giroux are expected to be three of the Flyers' centers, with Danny Briere and Darroll Powe likely moving to right wing. That leaves Betts competing with Jon Kalinski, Jared Ross, Krys Kolanos, Jason Ward, Adrian Foster, and Jon Matsumoto for a roster spot.

"He can check top players on the other team; he's a real grinder and a real good defensive player," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "He's a good addition to camp."

Betts, who earned $615,000 last season, chose to try out with the Flyers because they are familiar with his game; he spent four years with the rival Rangers.

"Philly has seen me play a number of times," he said. "I think they have a pretty good idea of what I can contribute. Hopefully, that's something that they're looking for."

Betts is a versatile player in the same mold as former Flyers Glen Metropolit and Jim Dowd. In face-offs, he has been around the 52 percent mark for his career; he dipped to 49.3 percent last season, but that figure was higher than any of the Flyers' regulars.

Breakaways. The Flyers have 59 players in camp; they will take 30 to 35 on their three-game trip, which starts with Wednesday's exhibition opener in Detroit. They also play Toronto twice, including a Thursday game (NHL Network at 7 p.m.) in London, Ontario. . . . One of Ray Emery's idols, boxing legend Joe Frazier, is expected to visit with the goalie at camp tomorrow. Emery has a likeness of Frazier (and Bernard Hopkins and the mythical Rocky Balboa) painted on his mask. . . . Simon Gagne and Patrick Maroon are expected to skate today. Gagne is recovering from a groin injury, and Maroon had surgery two months ago to repair a sports hernia.

Contact staff writer Sam Carchidi at 215-854-5181 or scarchidi@phillynews.com.