Doesn’t Matter Where, Hal Gill Wants to Play

PHILADELPHIA — On the ice by himself taking a VO2 test to measure his aerobic ability, Hal Gill was catching up. Most of the other attendees to Flyers training camp, which begins officially Thursday, did these tests last week.

At age 38, Gill feels like he’s been doing a lot of catching up. His goal is to be on the same proverbial playing field. The 6-foot-7 defenseman signed a professional tryout with the Flyers last week. With nine seemingly healthy defensemen on one-way contracts, it will be difficult for Gill to find a home with the Flyers.

“The game is getting younger and it’s the wrong time to be a (unrestricted free agent),” Gill said. “With the cap going down, there’s a lot of guys that are without jobs right now. I think that’s an opportunity for this camp to show people that they need a guy like me.”

Gill played 32 games for the Nashville Predators last season and is an unrestricted free agent after the Predators bought out his contract in July. In his 1,102-game career, Gill has 36 goals and 148 assists from the blueline, but is known more for being a shut-down, physical defenseman. He’s come to Philadelphia in hopes of extending his 15-season career.

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Dave Isaac covers the Flyers for 97.3 ESPN and The Courier Post.  Reach Dave Isaac at disaac@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @davegisaac.