Dave Hakstol wasn’t kidding on Wednesday when he said he was thinking of changing his defense pairs.
Turns out, not one, but all three pairs will get a new look for the Flyers Thursday night against New Jersey.
Michael Del Zotto is with Mark Streit. Nick Schultz is with Evgeny Medvedev. And the surprise pair has Brandon Manning with Luke Schenn.
Which means Radko Gudas, who has 25 hits over the last four games, is the odd man out.
Is this rotating seven-D to keep people fresh or something else?
“It’s a combination of the two,” Hakstol said. “We had seven good defensemen here. We want to keep all of them sharp and know that all of them are ready to go.
“But the thing is, there’s some evaluation in terms of individual performance, possibly our opponent or the right fit. There’s an element of that, as well.”
Manning was a healthy scratch two of the last three games.
“That’s hockey and it keeps guys honest,” Manning said of how Hakstol has been juggling his blue line.
“I don’t know if it’s the way the season has gone or his style because we don’t know him well enough.
“For me, it hasn’t been a problem. Every day is an opportunity. I want to push myself to play every day but at the same time, I’m happy to be playing in the NHL. Things could be a lot worse.”
Manning and Schenn spent much of the preseason together as a pair and working out as everyday scratches. That’s because Andrew MacDonald was still here.
Yet they have not played many regular season games together — just four, all coming last fall under Craig Berube.
“We played when we had a bunch of injuries,” Schenn said. “But we played together for three games in preseason. We’re changing D-partners a little more regularly it seems now. You are adjusting on the fly. Nothing seems to be very steady, as far as the D-pairings go.”
They’re not strangers to each other.
“The number one thing is communication,” Schenn said. “I really enjoyed playing with Brandon in preseason. If anything, I had the most practice time with him because I was with him the whole training camp. That’s a benefit.”
Hakstol seems to keep his defense on edge by switching things around. Even with some of his lines. If you’re a Flyer these days, there’s no real comfort level under Hakstol like there was under Berube.
“That’s definitely a good way of putting it,” Schenn said. “I’m not sure what is going on with his lineups. Sometimes, you come off a win and he changes things up.
“You come to the rink every day a little bit unsure. I guess you could say he keeps you guessing a little bit.”
Schenn has been scratched four times so far this season which makes it hard for a player to carry any kind of confidence from game to game.
“You can’t let others control your confidence for you,” Schenn said. “I’m not going to let anyone else control my confidence. Whether I am in or out, I will put in the work and feel prepared, either way.
“It’s nice to play a couple in a row. There’s nothing like games to get yourself in a rhythm. It’s totally different than practice.”
And it could all change again Friday night as the Flyers are in Buffalo on the back end of back-to-back games.
Loose pucks
Goalie Jason LaBarbera went back to the Phantoms as Michal Neuvirth (head injury) was activated to the roster off IR. ... Vinny Lecavalier makes his season debut tonight at left wing on Chris VandeVelde's fourth line with Ryan White.