Photo Courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig – USA Today Sports
With the pre-season coming to an end and only one final exhibition game left, the most intriguing question for the Philadelphia Flyers throughout training camp has yet to be answered. Will Tyson Foerser or Bobby Brink cement themselves within the opening night lineup?
When considering the play of both wingers this preseason it’s evident Brink has outplayed Foerster thus far. Though that doesn’t indicate Foerster has played badly by any means necessary. He just had the best game of his preseason campaign in the Flyers last outing taking on the Boston Bruins. Despite that, Brink has simply been the more noticeable player in regards to consistently creating plays and being involved in several facets of the game. Not to mention, he’s outscored Foerster with three points in four games. As compared to Foerster’s one point in three games.
One telling factor that could point to Brink having an edge over Foerster heading into the final exhibition matchup is the usage of both forwards in the previous game. Brink started out on the fourth line then eventually switched places with Foerster from the second period onwards. Where he received top line and power-play usage. Although John Tortorella stated he wanted to see a different mix of players when explaining why the move was made. It’s still something to note as the end of training camp approaches.
Tortorella mentioned in Monday’s post-game presser that the Flyers roster decisions are far more complicated than it being either one winger or the other. “You guys keep saying that but you’re a little mistaken there.” said Tortorella. The Flyers head coach also stated, “It’s not Tyson against Bobby. There’s a lot of different things that can happen with the lineup.”
One aspect to consider is the Flyers likely keeping the fourth line of Nicolas Deslauriers, Ryan Poehling and Garnett Hathaway intact to at least start the season. That leaves only one top nine spot left for either Foerster or Brink to claim. It’s always possible another player doesn’t make the team allowing Foerster and Brink to both earn a roster spot. However, that doesn’t seem to be the expected scenario.
As a result, the final roster spot seems to be a battle between Foerster and Brink. Due to Brink impressing during the majority of training camp that could give him the upper hand to this point. But, Foerster’s strong NHL stint last season and impressive AHL production could still be enough for him to secure the third line right wing spot.
Ultimately, it’s a wait and see situation with the final preseason game looming. A strong performance by Brink or Foerster could be the determining factor that decides which player starts the season with the Flyers. Nonetheless, expect both forwards to see NHL game action this upcoming season.
Gettin Gritty Wit It, Episode 182:
On this week’s episode Yariv and Vasili discussed the topics below and more:
-Michkov revenge game vs SKA
-Flyers make cuts
-Laczynski and Petersen on waivers
-Ersson v Sandstrom for backup position?
-Flyers v Bruins recap
-Call ups based on positional need
-Brink v Foerster for final forward spot?
-Tuomaala has impressed
-Review of organization depth chart before start of the season
Thanks for reading, listening and supporting!
Have a great week everyone.
