VOORHEES, N.J. — This wasn't grin 'n bear it.
More like grin 'n hold your temper.
Vinny Lecavalier again faced the music on Monday afternoon after Flyers practice.
Both he and Sam Gagner, acquired in a trade over the summer, wore baby blue jerseys as “scratches” as the Flyers' now 23-man roster held its first practice for Thursday’s season opener at Tampa Bay.
Lecavalier, Gagner and Luke Schenn are slated to sit out the game.
The 35-year-old Lecavalier came into camp in the best shape he’s been since his youth and began with a lot of pop that slowly fizzled as preseason dragged on. His strength is there, but not his skating.
He thought he’d get a bigger role, more ice time under a new coach in Dave Hakstol. Nothing’s changed. He’ll sit as he often did under former coach Craig Berube.
“I really don’t know what to say,” said Lecavalier, who scored one goal in preseason. “I’ll practice hard and be ready when they call me up.”
Was four preseason games enough to show what he can do?
“Honestly, it really doesn’t matter what I think,” he said. “That’s where it’s at right now, so it is what it is.”
Lecavalier said Hakstol informed him of what was to come last week.
Gagner, who played all three positions in camp without finding chemistry with anyone, appeared in six exhibitions with a goal and four points, but was clearly beaten out for a starting role by Scott Laughton.
“I’m surprised,” Gagner said. “I thought I did enough in camp to warrant a spot, but those decisions are not up to me.”
Schenn was on the bubble as either the seventh or eighth defensemen and could easily have been waived. What likely saved him was two things: salary cap hit versus contract length.
This is the final year of Schenn’s contract and his cap hit of $3.6 million is much less than fellow defenseman Andrew MacDonald ($5 million), who has five years — including this season — left on his deal.
That’s why the Flyers waived MacDonald over Schenn.
“Sometimes things can be perceived through a different view just because of a contract,” Schenn admitted. “But I think [MacDonald] is actually a real solid two-way defenseman and underrated player. He moves the puck well, he’s solid defensively.”
MacDonald’s game went downhill last season with turnovers and it was an issue in camp during the three games he played.
Schenn said he didn’t worry over the weekend whether he would survive the cut.
“I don’t know what their thoughts were internally behind closed doors about me,” Schenn said. “All I know is I felt comfortable at camp, I felt good, felt confident. I continue to feel that way.
“Obviously you can only carry so many guys. It’s a business, it’s a salary cap world. There’s always situations that play out, but the more you think about it, it’s not going to benefit you at all to be worried about it."