Flyers roster rounding into shape

Will center Scott Laughton stay with the Flyers? Can hard-nosed left winger Chris Porter earn a roster spot and remain with his college coach, Dave Hakstol? Will the Flyers keep defenseman Brandon Manning or try to sneak him through waivers so he can go back to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms?

Those are some of the questions facing the Flyers, who played their fourth preseason game Friday when they met the New York Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers have pared their roster to 29 players, and they figure to carry 23 when they open the season Oct. 8 in Tampa.

"We're going to let everyone's performance dictate when we're going to get down to the final number," Hakstol said, adding that "the sooner we get to a lower number, the more it allows us to prepare, but we're just not going to race toward that number."

Hakstol said the final roster decisions will be "collaborative" between himself and general manager Ron Hextall, who wants to get the roster down to 23 before the final preseason game Oct. 2 in New Jersey.

There could be trades - center Vinny Lecavalier, winger R.J. Umberger and defenseman Luke Schenn seem to be available - that alter the roster, but here is how things currently look:

Center: Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier will anchor the first and second lines, respectively, and Lecavalier (third line) and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (fourth) are expected to center the other units. Laughton, slowed by a concussion last season, has had a good camp and is pushing for a job. Nick Cousins is still around, but, barring an injury, will probably go back to Lehigh Valley.

Laughton has been centering Porter and Brayden Schenn.

"Each of the combinations we have could potentially play on opening night," Hakstol said.

There is lots of depth down the middle because several natural centers are now playing wing, including Schenn.

Left wing: Michael Raffl figures to play on the top line, and newcomer Sam Gagner and Umberger - whose speed has returned after undergoing hip and abdominal surgery - have been alternating between the second and third lines. There are several candidates for the fourth line, including Porter and Chris VandeVelde, each of whom played for Hakstol at North Dakota.

Right wing: Top-liner Jake Voracek looks primed to build off last year's sensational season, and high-scoring second-liner Wayne Simmonds has quietly emerged as one of the team's most consistent players. Matt Read could play left wing on the second line or either wing on the third unit, and Schenn is also in the mix. Other right-wing candidates: Ryan White and free-agent signee Colin McDonald.

Defense: Ten defensemen remain in camp, and the Flyers will carry seven or eight.

Surprisingly, it appears Luke Schenn - acquired from Toronto in the 2012 deal for gifted left winger James van Riemsdyk - is not penciled in on any of the top three pairings.

Heading into Friday's preseason game, the depth chart seemed like this: Nick Schultz and Mark Streit; Michael Del Zotto and Evgeny Medvedev, and Andrew MacDonald and Radko Gudas.

Manning and Schenn are also battling for jobs, and are among eight defensemen on one-way contracts.

Shayne Gostisbehere, who had two goals in the preseason win over the Rangers on Wednesday, is the wild card, but in all likelihood will get some seasoning with Lehigh Valley. Robert Hagg, who is just 19 but already has a year of AHL experience, has had an impressive camp but is not quite ready for the NHL.

Goalies: Steve Mason, who hopes to play 60-some games this season, and backup Michal Neuvirth are the only goalies left in camp.

scarchidi@phillynews.com

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