Isaac on Flyers: Flyers Roster Trimmed Down to 29

(VOORHEES) - What was announced as 35 is really 29.

In the matter of a couple days the Flyers went from 62 players in training camp to having only six cuts to make.

Chris Conner, Tim Brent, Aaron Palushaj, Davis Drewiske and Jason LaBarbera will all be put on waivers Friday, when the waiver period opens for the NHL, and will be sent down to the American Hockey League if and when they clear. Defenseman Christian Marti, a free-agent signee this offseason from Switzerland, will have to stick around a while longer. Shoulder surgery has him on the shelf until mid-November, but he’ll eventually be with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, too. For now, he’ll start the season on the non-roster/injured list.

“Anybody that’s here right now has somewhat of a shot,” general manager Ron Hextall said. “I don’t know where our numbers are going to go. If something happens, if someone gets hurt, who knows what happens?”

Wednesday was a buzzkill for anyone hoping for one of the Flyers’ young players to make a splash. The last three first-round picks — Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim and Ivan Provorov — were all sent back to their junior teams.

“To put an 18 year old kid on an NHL roster, it’s dangerous and he’s got to help make you a better team and our assessment is that none of those three guys were going to,” Hextall said. “It’s one thing now, it’s another thing in November, December and January. This is what’s best for the kids.”

So now becomes a question of who is left and where they fit.