After seeing Nolan Patrick in camp and during a scrimmage the report is going to be mostly positive. He was loose in practice, talking to Michael Raffl and Morgan Frost in-between drills.
In the scrimmage, his footwork was solid, his speed was there, and he had a few shots on net. Nobody made contact with him. I suppose at some point it’s going to happen and that’s when we’ll find out where he’s really at. So far, so good, and this is further than he was able to get last year.
Outlook: I would pencil him in the lineup. I can’t do more than that until he gets through camp completely without symptoms. If he does that I’d expect him to be able to play in 50 games this year and that would be a big boost for the Flyers.
Tanner Laczynski is recovering from core muscle surgery, but I was at camp early enough to see him work out. I’ve seen a lot of him over the years in action for Ohio State in the regular season and the regionals. His speed and cuts already looked good. He was listed as 6-1, 190 on the sheet, but I think he’s a bit heavier than that since he looks more muscular than last season.
His one-timer was smooth, and I didn’t see him take more than one break, so his recovery is looking good so far.
Outlook: He could be in a camp battle with Linus Sandin for a bottom six role only if he can go full bore in camp soon. If not, he’ll start the year in Lehigh Valley, and that would give him more time to heal, and he could play center in the AHL instead of a likely role on the wing if he were to get an NHL roster spot.
Tomorrow:
Linus Sandin and Morgan Frost