Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese
When the Philadelphia Flyers unveiled their opening night roster last week, there weren't too many surprises — save for the addition of Luke Schenn on the third defensive pairing, as speculation was rampant that he would be waived or traded. Sam Gagner, Radko Gudas and Vincent Lecavalier found themselves watching from the Amalie Arena press box as healthy scratches.
Coach Dave Hakstol decided to roll with the lineup for the second game in Sunrise, Fla. There were no egregious problems with the lineup following the 3-2 overtime loss to Tampa Bay, so naturally, sticking the lineup was to be expected against the Florida Panthers.
One embarrassing loss later, Hakstol wasted no time in shuffling his lineup for the Flyers' home opener against the Panthers. Gagner and Gudas each made their respective Flyers debuts, while Schenn and R.J. Umberger joined Lecavalier upstairs.
Gagner wasted no time contributing to the scoresheet, as he assisted on Brayden Schenn's early first period goal. He also recorded three shots in 14:56 of ice time, 2:01 of which came on the power play. Gudas, on the other hand, logged 16:40 of ice time and took two penalties (one of which led to 4-on-4 play, as Erik Gudbranson also sat for roughing).
Lineup changes are quite common in the early parts of a season, as coaches try to maximize chemistry and synergy amongst players on the roster. But oftentimes, players are switched up before they can start to mesh with their linemates, leading to a substantial lack of production on the ice.
You may remember the ire that Craig Berube often drew in his tenure behind the Flyers bench, as he was quick to change lines when the Orange and Black were presented with adversity of any sort. No spots in the lineup were guaranteed (as they shouldn't have been), leading to lineups that resembled a game of musical chairs at times.
Of course, Hakstol will have to change lines and pairings for circumstances out of his control, namely for injuries. Inevitably, the Flyers will lose dozens of man-games due to injury over the season, and as usual, they will pile up at the least-convenient times. Look no further than Monday's game — Hakstol was left with no choice but to start Michal Neuvirth in goal, after it was announced that Steve Mason left to tend to a personal matter.
Another factor out of Hakstol's control is the logjam at positions, namely the center. While he's been largely ineffective during his time as a Flyer, Lecavalier can't sit in the press box forever, thanks to his $4.5 million cap hit. There aren't many other realistic options though — breaking up the line of Chris VandeVelde, Ryan White and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is pointless, while Scott Laughton provides far more value at the position.
Sure, the Flyers will have to make some changes to their scoring lines and defensive pairings as the season progresses — it's part of any coach's due diligence. What's worked for one game isn't likely to work late in the season. Lineups aren't an exact or perfect science, but there's no denying how crucial a consistent lineup is to the synergy on the ice.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
