Sam Gagner Trying to Fit in at Flyers Camp

VOORHEES Flyers coach Dave Hakstol is insistent. He says Sean Couturier’s injury has nothing to do with the fact that Sam Gagner is now on his third position so far in training camp.

The 22 year old Couturier hasn’t skated with the team since Saturday, dealing with an undisclosed injury. When he missed Sunday’s practice, apparently it was a coincidence that Gagner moved into the middle after spending training camp at both the left and right wings.

It doesn’t seem to matter much to Gagner, 26, who says he’s close to finding his groove. Monday night’s game against the New York Rangers marks his fourth preseason game.

“I kind of want to play as much as possible to be honest,” Gagner said. “My game is based a lot on feel, so in order to do that you’ve got to get your reps going. I’ve had tough starts when I’ve gotten injured in preseason so I think the more I can play in preseason the better I can be. I think it’s been good so far. My timing has been back to where it needs to be and I’m looking forward to getting the regular season started.”

A natural center, Gagner has been asked to be versatile with the Flyers, which isn’t totally new for him. He played all three forward positions with the Arizona Coyotes last season. The Flyers originally thought he could be a right wing for them and in the summer he worked on left wing just in case.