ST. PAUL, Minn. — Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said forward Jordan Weal will not make his debut tonight against the Minnesota Wild (see game notes).
"I haven't watched him play a whole lot, but we'll learn a lot more in the next couple days and in the next couple weeks," the first-year coach said, adding he expects the 23-year-old to play mostly center. "But as you probably know with me, everybody usually has some flexibility in their games."
Weal was a third-round draft pick for the Los Angeles Kings in 2010 and played 10 games for them this season without tallying a point. The Flyers also acquired a third-round pick in this June's draft in the trade, which sent defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Vinny Lecavalier to the Kings.
The trade clears about $4 million in cap space this season, giving the team capital for a potential trade deadline move.
Schenn, a former top 10 draft pick by Toronto, recorded five points in 29 games for the Flyers. Lecavalier, 35, was in his third season of a five-year deal with the team but had played just seven games this season.
Hakstol praised the way in which Lecavalier handled his minimal playing time, adding that it's always difficult to keep any player on the bench.
"I'm happy to see Vinny and Luke get a good opportunity," he said. "I've said all the way along, the way Vinny has approached things on a day-to-day basis, he's a good man, he's a competitor. I'm glad he's going to get an opportunity to go out, and I wish him well."