Each day leading up to Sept. 14, the official start of Flyers training camp, we'll dissect the biggest storylines facing the team ahead of the 2018-19 season.
With summer officially over, as hockey returns this month, the Flyers head into next week's rookie and training camp with one major question mark about their opening-night roster.
Who is going to be the team's third-line center? It's not for a lack of options either. Instead, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall decided his best course of action is filling it from within.
The Flyers let Valtteri Filppula walk via free agency, and Hextall didn't view his external options as an upgrade over what the Flyers already have either on their roster or in their system.
Hextall opened the door for Claude Giroux to return to center after his career-best season at left wing, named Scott Laughton and Jordan Weal as candidates, and mentioned that the Flyers have a few prospects, without naming names, who may be ready to make the leap to the Show.
Let's break down the Flyers' options with training camp now seven days away.
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Claude Giroux
When Hextall mentioned Giroux as an option after signing James van Riemsdyk on July 1, it didn't come across as it was the team's plan. It felt more like, it's an option.
Giroux was drafted by and came up to the Flyers as a right winger but spent the majority of his career as a center. The switch last season caught most by surprise, but it led to Giroux becoming the first Flyer since Eric Lindros in 1995-96 to crack the 100-point mark.
Moving Giroux to left wing proved to be Dave Hakstol's best decision yet as head coach. Giroux clicked with Sean Couturier and the duo each turned in career years playing together. Couturier is nursing a knee injury and will miss some time in training camp and preseason but should be ready for the start of the regular season. Breaking those two up doesn't much sense.
It's certainly an option but feels more like a fallback plan. Couturier's injury doesn't change much. Shuffling Giroux back to the middle would mean Laughton and Weal didn't earn the job and none of the prospects are ready. Giroux, a five-time All-Star, is better than the alternatives.
Scott Laughton
Laughton should be considered the leader in the clubhouse, though the margin is small. The 2012 first-round pick finally cracked the Flyers' lineup and remained here the entire season. The major question surrounding Laughton when discussing him as a third-line center option is, can he produce enough offensively to warrant beginning the season with him there?
Last season, Laughton made the team in a fourth-line role and registered 10 goals and 20 points in 81 games. Not exactly numbers to write home about, but factor in his linemates and opportunity, it's hard to score when Jori Lehtera is your linemate. The Flyers began last season with Laughton between Michael Raffl and Taylor Leier, which generated offensive-zone time but was bit by tough luck. Laughton has ability to produce but consistency will be key.
There's no reason to believe that Laughton will not be able to produce more with, say, Wayne Simmonds or van Riemsdyk and Oskar Lindblom on his wings. The job is there for his taking.
Jordan Weal
While Hextall isn't counting Weal out for 3C, it seems like a long shot. Weal hasn't played center much in the NHL and played just one game there with the Flyers. Weal couldn't duplicate the success he had at the end of 2016-17 last season and fell out of favor with the coaching staff.
This year offers Weal another opportunity to earn a prominent spot. He's an extremely effective player at the AHL level and started to translate that to the NHL two seasons ago. But it's hard to see Weal beating out his competition and staying in the lineup consistently.
Morgan Frost
With rookie camp beginning Monday, we'll get an early look at Frost, who came to development camp in July bulked up (see story). It'll be interesting to see how much more weight he's added over the past month. Frost will have the opportunity to show Hextall he's ready for the NHL, but after the World Junior Summer Showcase, it's probably best to temper expectations. Frost will be the most exciting player to watch in the fight for the 3C.
Frost will have to show that he's both physically and mentally ready for the NHL game. It's a much faster pace against much stronger humans. Travis Konecny did it two years ago. Can Frost do it this September? We'll see.
Mikhail Vorobyev
Another prospect that deserves watching is Vorobyev, who made the jump from Russia to Lehigh Valley last season and posted 29 points in 58 games. He has good size and playmaking abilities and is a responsible two-way player. He figures to be one of the prospects Hextall expects to push for a spot. He very well might be the prospect best prepared for the NHL.
Mike Vecchione
Vecchione doesn't get much attention anymore, but he will have a shot to make the Flyers again. The former Hobey Baker finalist had 17 goals and 40 points in 65 games with the Phantoms last season. A lot has changed since Vecchione opted to sign with the Flyers, but he certainly will be in the mix for the third-line center opening. But for how long is the question.
