Over the years, the NHL has been a league predicated on constant evolution. What once was a game based on size and physicality has evolved into a game where speed and skill are nothing but crucial.
The fourth line is no exception. Teams have been phasing out the heavyweight goons and less-skilled players on the fourth line in favor of skilled role-players, with an emphasis on two-way play. The Chicago Blackhawks have been lauded for their model of a skilled fourth line over the past several seasons, and the unit of Andrew Desjardins, Marcus Kruger and Andrew Shaw were helpful in their run to last year's Stanley Cup.
GM Ron Hextall is well-aware of this new fourth-line trend. Last season, under Craig Berube, the fourth line featured the likes of Chris VandeVelde, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Zac Rinaldo, Ryan White and Vinny Lecavalier. Berube was always quick to shuffle his lines, so the fourth line was always subject to change.
Heading into 2014-15, both Berube and Rinaldo are gone. Bellemare and VandeVelde figure to return on the left and right wings of the fourth line — the former looking to follow up to a solid first season on North American ice, and the latter looking to improve on a breakout nine-goal, 15-point performance. Factoring in VandeVelde's reunion with his former college coach in Dave Hakstol, it's a reasonable expectation that he puts up comparable or better numbers in 2015-16. Bellemare demonstrated scoring prowess over in Sweden, but he established a steady defensive presence in his rookie year.
The biggest question for the fourth line is figuring out who will play center, thanks to an embarrassment of riches at the position. Lecavalier often found himself on the fourth line or the press box after failing to find a place within Berube's system, but if his fortunes do not change under Hakstol (read: doesn't find a way back to the second or third lines), he may very well return to the same spot. Despite missing the first four months with a torn pectoral muscle, White had a decent showing with six goals and 12 points, while demonstrating versatility in filling in for injured players on the middle lines.
Younger talents such as Nick Cousins and Scott Laughton also figure to vie for the fourth line's center spot. Laughton split 70 games between the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms in his first professional season, registering two goals and six points in 31 games with the big club. While Cousins failed to register a point in 11 games with the Flyers, a strong training camp showing would include the 22-year-old playmaker in consideration for the spot.
With training camp just under a month away, there are plenty of storylines for the Orange and Black entering the 2015-16 season. Expectations of the fourth line are just one storyline, albeit one that's a little more under the radar than others.
The Flyers made headlines early last season when a heavyweight enforcer was left off the Opening Night roster for the first time since the 1970s. Expect that to happen yet again this season, as Hextall and Hakstol continue to embrace the league-wide trend of a skilled fourth line.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
