“If we were submitting rosters tomorrow, yeah, (Pyorala, JVR and Betts) would probably would be on it,” said Holmgren.

The news comes as somewhat surprising considering Betts and van Riemsdyk will not be healthy scratches.  Betts will take over fourth-line center and special teams duties, while JVR will become a top-9 scoring winger.  And with just one roster spot vacant heading into the regular season, logic says that someone on the current Flyers roster will need to be a scratch.

Some point to enforcer Riley Cote as the scapegoat, whiles others believe Arron Asham or Darroll Powe will be the odd-man out.  Either way, it appears that the early offseason conundrum of who the Flyers were going to covet — a shut down center or scoring winger — has been answered.

They chose both.

But if he continues throwing fists like he did against 6-foot-3 Mark Fraser and still remain productive like he was in the Flyers 2-1 win over the Devils Thursday night, he might prove a lot of people wrong.

Hersley was a low-end prospect currently playing for Modo in Sweden.  The 6’3 defenseman spent most of his career in the ECHL, playing just five games for the Phantoms in 2008-09.

It was announced earlier that NHL vet Mark Bell and try-out Adrian Foster were released and that Andreas Nodl, Jared Ross and Jon Kalinski have been assigned to the Phantoms.

Leading the second wave of not surprising cuts is Josh Beaulieu, Rob Bellamy, Matt Clackson, Ryan Dingle, Garrett Klotz, Jon Matsumoto, Tomas Sinisalo, Oskars Bartulis, Marc-Andre Bourdon, Joonas Lehtivuori, Kevin Marshall, Mike Ratchuk, David Sloane, Logan Stephenson, Matt Duchene, Nicola Riopel, Michael-Lee Teslak.

All have been assigned to the Phantoms.

Those sent back to their junior teams include David Labreque, Eric Wellwood, Zac Rinaldo, Jacob Deserres, Adam Morrison.

The Flyers have signed juniors try-out defenseman Tyler Hostetter.  Hostetter, a Pennsylvania native, was returned to the Erie Otters after signing the contract.  The 5’11 blue liner is a right-handed shot and plays relatively mean.

James van Riemsdyk, Blair Betts, Mika Pyorala, David Laliberte, Patrick Maroon and Danny Syvret have remained on the team so far.

Bell, a former Ranger and Blackhawk,  signed on as an early try out just weeks before training camp began.  However, soft play and being quoted as saying “a two-way contract is unacceptable to me,”  surely did not help his chances with the Flyers, who need roster flexibility.

After the three-game preseason road trip in which the team went 0-3, Flyers’ coach John Stevens made it public that he was unimpressed with Bell’s play, saying he played “Just OK.”

The cutting of Bell increases the chances that utility forward Blair Betts makes the team. The Flyers will likely begin to slim down their roster very shortly.

The Flyers held two intra-squad scrimmages on Tuesday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J., one being dominated by Jeff Carter and the other Ray Emery.

Carter highlighted the first game with two goals, as his line with Mika Pyorala thrived.

“I thought the Carter line was sensational,” said Flyers’ coach John Stevens. “Pyorala was a really good player, but the whole line was.”

Emery headed the second group, making multiple stops to preserve a shutout in his first competitive action since signing a one-year deal with the Flyers in the offseason.  His team went on to win 3-0.

“It was a practice thing but it was good,” said Emery. “It was a fast paced game with some reps and the boys got to throw their bodies around a bit.  It’s too early to look too far into anything like that.”

One of Emery’s blemishes came on the traditional post-scrimmage shoot out, when James van Riemsdyk faked forehand and roofed it glove-side backhand, getting a rise from the crowd.  Arron Asham also scored.

“I thought he did good today,” Stevens said of JVR. “Obviously the last thought he leaves you with is that heck of a shot on the shoot out.  He made a heck of a move where he finished it off, much like he did in the rookie game.  He’s a big guy that has good hands and makes quick plays.  I thought he made a good account of himself again.”

Also impressing was 5-foot-11, 170 lbs., Finnish defenseman Joonas Lehtivuori, who scored a goal and caught the eye of Stevens.

“Certainly Lehtivuori is a smart and talented player,” Stevens said, when asked who impressed him. “And it really showed out there today.”

35 Flyers will travel to Detroit to play in the team’s opening preseason game against the Red Wings on Wednesday.

Not many people know the name Mika Pyorala.  But they may want to learn.

On day one of Flyers’ training camp at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J., Philadelphia coach John Stevens paired 28-year old Pyorala on a line with Scott Hartnell and Jeff Carter.  With a healthy number of hopeful forwards looking to make an impression, no one expect the move to stick.  But it did.

“They are very offensive guys that get a lot of points,” said Pyorala (PURE-ella), who will likely be matched up with the same line in the team’s first preseason game Wednesday in Detroit.  “I know if I am going to play with them I have to try to balance the lines because I’m a defensive player.”

Born in Oulu, Finland, Pyorala is an undrafted defensive forward that has yet to play an NHL game, but hopes to crack the Flyers’ tight forward corp or be sent to Glens Falls to be a Phantom.

“The NHL is the best league in the world,” said Pyorala, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason for one-year, $500,000.  “I thought it was my time to come here and try to make a team.  I’m 28 and if I wait I might pass my time and become too old.  I’m excited and willing to take the chance.”

Despite scoring 21 goals and 22 assists with Timra of the low-scoring Swedish Elite League, Pyorala is a versatile defensive forward that is known more for his shutdown capabilities than his scoring.  He also can play both wings and center, although his faceoff percentage was below 50% last season.

“He’s a solid two-way guy,” said fellow countryman and Flyers’ defenseman Kimmo Timonen. “He’s not a 30-goal scorer but he can score.  He reminds me of Jere Lehtinen, in that he is a very good defensive player that can also create some offense.”

Timonen also believes the Flyers may have found a needle in a haystack.

“I think so (on Pyorala flying under the NHL radar),” he said. “Once you play a lot of national team games you get better and better and he’s at the top of his game right now.  I’m looking forward to seeing him play.”

In reality, Pyorala is a nice depth-line utility player or possible 13^th forward. He’s mature, makes very few mistakes and has incredible conditioning.  But one thing is certain, quiet and reserved Pyorala knows exactly what is needed if he stands a chance to make the big club.

“I have to do well in the preseason games if I’m going to make it to the team,” he said.

The Flyers did not have to wait until the AHL season got underway for  James Van Riemsdyk to suddenly turn it on.

The former second-overall selection in the 2007 draft dominated in the third annual Flyers – Capitals rookie scrimmage, scoring four goals and assisting on one, as the Flyers walloped the Capitals, 7-3, Friday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J.

Three of JVR’s four tallies came with him firmly placed in front of the net, with his fourth coming on a shorthanded breakaway.  On the SHG, he faked a forehand shot and tucked the puck softly backhand through the five-hole.   All throughout rookie camp Van Riemsdyk practiced on the defensive side of shorthanded drills.  And with his size and speed, the Flyers are clearly trying to round out his two-way game, while trying to create an all-around weapon.

“The thing most pleasing to me was he wasn’t just hanging around the perimeter scoring goals or finesse goals. He really dug in fought for a loose puck that ended up a goal,” said Flyers’ coach John Stevens. “There was a loose puck behind him on another goal and the last goal, the breakaway was high-end. He showed the competitiveness we wanted to see.”

Other standouts were defenseman Kevin Marshall, who scored two assists and played a poised game.  Goalie Adam Morrison who was peppered from the point, but kept making the saves through traffic.  And Zac Rinaldo, who despite being labeled as an agitator, showed off his speed by earning a penalty shot and shorthanded breakaway.  He was turned away on both.

VOORHEES — With all but one forward roster spot filled for the 2009-10 season,  the biggest question for the Flyers  becomes … who is with who?

“I like the combination of forwards we have now,” said defenseman Kimmo Timonen. “We have three really good lines and we have a ton of guys who are competing for a spot on the team.  And that’s a good situation to have going into training camp.”

The Flyers open training camp on Sept. 13 at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J. And although the team is primarily keeping the same line chemistry as last season, there will be some changes.

“Right now we have (Jeff) Carter with (Scott) Hartnell, (Mike) Richards and (Simon) Gagne together and we will have (Claude) Giroux and Danny Briere probably start together and just work guys in around them, just seeing how it goes,” said Flyers’ coach John Stevens.  “But one game it might be set up one way and another game it will be set up differently.  We want to see what we have in training camp and go from there.”

With the combinations listed above, the Flyers have three open winger spots and a possible fourth-line center vacancy.  The four openings have suitors in Daniel Carcillo, Darroll Powe and Ian Laperriere, with lesser odds handed out to Mika Pyorala, Blair Betts, Mark Bell, Patrick Maroon and Andreas Nodl.

“We’re going to start with the lines spread out, giving a lot of guys the opportunity to make our team,” said Stevens.  “Like Bell and Betts and guys in our organization.”

But while Stevens looks for chemistry by rotating wingers, one thing is for sure – Briere will not play center.

“He’s going to start on the wing,” said Stevens. “We’re going to move people around. We have a lot of guys here we need to have a look at, so where they start won’t necessarily be where they finish.  But we know Danny will be on the wing.”

With the loss of Mike Knuble and Joffrey Lupul, matched with the addition of Chris Pronger, the Flyers’ power play is set to look much different.  But as Stevens points out, the people may change but the scheme won’t.

“Being a shooting power play that goes hard to the net will not change, but the personnel may,” said Stevens.  “We expect to have 1a and 1b power play units like in years past.

“One thing that might change is where Richards plays.  We might move him down low instead of at the point.  With the absence of Knuble and Lupul, it’s more than likely Richards moves to up front.”

Despite some cosmetic changes, the biggest difference in the Flyers’ 2009-10 power play may be on the blue line, where the team is suddenly stacked with Pronger and Timonen as the top special team’s pairing and Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle rounding out the second group.

“We’re going to look at those two guys (Pronger and Timonen) starting together,” said Stevens. “Ideally I think that’s like we want to do, with Pronger’s big shot up top and Kimmo always being that calm, composed element on our power play.  We’re going to have to get out on the ice and see how it goes.”

When asked if he thinks the power play will allow the defense to get more shots at the net, Timonen perked up.

“I hope so,” Timonen laughed. “We haven’t talked about that yet, but I’m sure when (Pronger) is on the ice he will want some pucks.  We’ll see how they work that out, but I’m sure we’ll get used.”