Flyers rookie likely to make the roster & that's bad news for another Flyer.

A young forward appears to have made a drastic impression on the Philadelphia Flyers organization in both training camp and the National Hockey League's preseason.

There were in theory some spots up the middle of the ice up for grabs in the Flyers line up for the upcoming 2018 - 2019 NHL regular season but in spite of the fact that we are still a few days away from the start of the season there is now a strong belief that one of those spots has already been claimed by a young rookie. 

According to a report from NBC Sports' John Boruk it now appears that the Flyers have found their third line center and it appears that the position will be filled by 21 year old Russian center Mikhail Vorobyov. The former Philadelphia Flyers 4th round pick (104th overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft has had a really strong showing in the preseason even while the rest of his team had their struggles this week. 

The Flyers lost to both the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers this week in spite of the fact that both of those organizations failed to field large parts of their NHL roster. It was an ugly week for the Flyers organization but Vorobyov was one of the lone bright spots and nearly got his team back into it after being down against the Rangers. It's not just the fact that Vorobyov has had a strong performance that has many convinced he will make the roster, but also the fact that his performances are being notice by the right people. 

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall has reportedly informed NBC Sports that Vorobyov has "knocked the door down" as far as his efforts to make the roster are concerned. It's important to note that this is not an official confirmation that Vorobyov has in fact made the roster but you have to believe that with the general manager signing your praises in so public a fashion there's a pretty good chance you're going to make the cut. Although Hextall clearly like what he sees from Vorobyov, it remains to be seen how Philadelphia Flyers' head coach Dave Hakstol feels about the young forward.

While all of this is good news for Vorobyov it seems fair to say that this will also be bad news for another member of the Flyers roster. Prior to training camp it seems fair to suggest that 26 year old center Jordan Weal would have been the man penciled in for that third line center spot on the Flyers depth chart. However Weal's lackluster performance in training camp and in the preseason has likely bumped him down that chart and it remains to be seen what kind of use he will see during the season if Vorobyov ends up establishing himself as a solid third center option for the Flyers.

Weal remains a solid center when it comes to winning important face offs and his defensive style of play has also made him a reliable option in situations that require a more defense first type of focus. However his tenancy to play the perimeter has often failed to clear space in the middle of the ice and that is where the Flyers likely believe that Vorobyov will outshine Weal.