By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
There is a bit of added hype to rookie camp this season with a lot of new faces taking the ice for the first time in Flyers colors at practice and on Wednesday night in the rookie game at Wells Fargo Center. A big reason for that hype is because of the offseason Ron Hextall had.
The Flyers GM has left the door open for young players to make the roster and make an impact this season. It leaves players like Nolan Patrick, Oskar Lindblom, Travis Sanheim and Sam Morin under a microscope during this time.
The rookie game is only the first step. It marks the conclusion of rookie camp as the main camp begins on Friday. The rookies will then head there and go against NHL veterans for the valuable spots available on the roster.
With several roster spots available, it would be easy to think Hextall’s offseason left the Flyers with more questions than answers. But not if you’ve followed Hextall’s draft strategy. Not if you’ve heard the response to his picks over the years. And don’t tell the Flyers GM that opening up roster spots for kids is a sign of a rebuild in progress.
“You’re not rebuilding when you’re competitive,” Hextall said. “A rebuild, to me, is when you go to the bottom and you pick high, high, high — and essentially, you’re not trying that hard to win. That’s not in our DNA. We want to win. We want to win as many games as possible. We’re not going to go to the bottom of the league and pick first overall for four or five years. That’s no way to build culture. Our vision was to stay competitive, and build, and get younger — and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
So Hextall’s offseason in 2017 took a shift. Instead of trying to fill the gap with safe options in the event kids weren’t ready, it’s not a matter of if they aren’t ready this season, it’s who is ready. And that’s what makes it such an important camp for so many prospects. Their first chance is here and they are out to make the most of it and make the Flyers give them a good long look for the 2017-18 roster.
It’s what gives the rookie game on Wednesday some modest meaning. It may just be an exhibition between two clubs and their prospects, but it really is about making a strong first impressions, especially after three days of drills and practice during camp. The same will go in the preseason, where the team will play in eight games to determine the final roster of 23.
For several years, it has been about waiting for the future, but Ron Hextall’s offseason is starting to show that the future is now for the Philadelphia Flyers.
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