Laughton still has shot to make Flyers' final roster

Midway through their eight-game preseason schedule, the Flyers roster is starting to shape up.

They sent veteran center Darroll Powe and speedy left winger Taylor Leier to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday, and they placed veteran winger Andrew Gordon and defensemen Brandon Manning and Oliver Lauridsen on waivers for the purpose of assigning them to the Phantoms.

Lauridsen has a one-way contract, which means the Flyers will still pay him $650,000 if he plays for Lehigh Valley. That will make him one of the AHL's highest-paid players.

Excluding the injured players who will not begin the season with the big-league team, the Flyers have 30 players in camp. They must get down to 23 for the Oct. 8 opener in Boston.

The biggest battle appears to be for the fourth-line center spot. Scott Laughton, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Blair Jones, and Chris VandeVelde are the candidates.

Laughton and Jones have stood out in camp.

Bellemare has been bothered by a lower-body injury and did not play Thursday in a 4-0 preseason win over New Jersey, a game in which Laughton had a goal and two assists.

Bellemare, a 29-year-old rookie who grew up in Paris, skated before the Flyers practiced in Voorhees on Friday, but he did not participate in the session with his teammates. The Flyers (2-1-1) said he will not play Sunday in New Jersey.

The Flyers may have to decide whether to give Laughton a reduced role in the NHL or allow him to gain experience - and lots of minutes - in the AHL. Jones and VandeVelde are journeymen, but with NHL experience.

Jones, 28, a free-agent signee who has played parts of eight seasons in the NHL, has three assists in two preseason games.

"The one thing that really stands out is his competitiveness," Flyers coach Craig Berube said after practice Friday. "He's really smart, and he's kind of an all-around situational player."

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Jones, who had two goals in 14 games with Calgary last season, was happy to have survived the latest cuts, but added, "I'm not really reading into it too much. . . . I'm old enough now to worry about what I can control - and that's my preparation and how hard I work."

Giroux sharp. Claude Giroux skated with his expected linemates, Brayden Schenn and Jake Voracek, and continued to make progress. He has not played in any exhibition games because of a lower-body injury, and no timetable has been set for his return.

"He was faster than ever today, which surprised me," Voracek said. "That's a good thing."

Giroux has yet to have contact on the ice.

"I don't think it's time to test it out," Giroux said. "There's still a lot of time until the season starts. . . . I'm trying to be smart about this."

Giroux said he had no ill effects from an 80-minute workout Thursday.

Breakaways. Bellemare, Sean Couturier and Ray Emery missed practice with minor injuries. . . . Berube said he will take 13 players to Allentown for Saturday's 5 p.m. sold-out exhibition against the Phantoms. The rest of the roster will be filled in with Lehigh Valley players. . . . Goalie Steve Mason said he had problems with the new Wells Fargo Center lights and went back to using his old mask because there was glare off his new one. . . . Nick Grossmann said he felt fine after his first game since offseason right-ankle surgery; he had four hits and four shots in the win over the Devils. . . . Ryan White, a free-agent signee who was expected to be a contender for the fourth-line center spot, will miss five months, according to GM Ron Hextall. He had surgery to repair a torn chest muscle in August.