According to the Courier Post, veteran defenseman Darian Hatcher has been skating in pre-camp workouts and hopes to play by the start of the season. The news on Hatcher is somewhat surprising considering General Manager Paul Holmgren’s statement that because of a debilitating knee injury, Hatcher would miss the majority of the season. Coach John Stevens told the post that if Hatcher is healthy, there will be a roster spot for him.
If Hatcher plays, the Flyers will be $1 million over the cap, meaning some jostling will have to be done with the roster. It also leaves Ryan Parent, Ossi Vaananen, Steve Eminger, Bryan Berard and Lasse Kuukonen vying for two starting roster spots. Should make for an interesting battle between those guys.
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Highly touted Flyers prospect and Russian defender, Denis Bodrov has elected to not attend Flyers’ training camp after telling the organization he would attend this year. Bodrov currently plays in the new Russian Kontintentel Hockey League that has been underway for a couple weeks. Bodrov is a hard-hitting, offensively talented blue liner that Holmgren once called the most NHL-ready rear guard in the Flyers’ system. That kind of promiotion hyped the arrival of Bodrov in Philadelphia since not many people have actually seen him play. He is likely to attend next season.
Phila.Bright 