Nikita Grebenkin’s playing time has been too sporadic. The Flyers need to find him ice time.

Across the Flyers’ long practice on Friday, Nikita Grebenkin spent a lot of time skating with fourth liners Garnet Hathaway and Rodrigo Ābols.

It’s too soon to determine whether or not that means he will be in the lineup on Saturday when the Flyers host the New Jersey Devils (7 p.m., NBCSP).

But it is fair to say the young Russian winger needs to get consistent playing time.

Grebenkin did not play in the Flyers’ 3-2 overtime win against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, a game in which the head coach said afterward that he wanted to see his team be better at wall work and puck possession, two things Grebenkin often does well.

“He did early in the season and training camp, but he’s been OK with that [since],” Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said Friday, adding he can be a “hashmark down guy.”

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Noted Hathaway, “He’s really good at controlling the puck, working through guys, battling with guys. His puck possession, I think it helps any line that he’s on. He can hold on to and then he can make plays out of it, too. And he’s not shy to get in the mix and go win a puck battle.”

Grebenkin, 22, has skated in 12 of the Flyers’ first 19 games, averaging 9 minutes, 35 seconds. It is consistent with the other players on the fourth line, including Nic Deslauriers, with whom he rotates.

And the rotation, formulated by Tocchet and his staff, does follow what the head coach said on Nov. 1: “I like that we played him a couple of games, work with the coaches when you can really work with them, get him back in — hopefully he can string some good games together for us.”

Added Tocchet on Friday when asked what he needs to see from Grebenkin to play consistently. “We’re trying to make him an NHL player. He spent a lot of time with the coaches. More predictable to his game, good angles, being a good first forechecker. [When] he’s more predictable, it’ll help the line in general. It’s hard, I get it, 9-10 minutes, but there’s only so much ice to go around. It’s the world we live in right now.”

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Grebenkin was a big piece of the return in the trade that shipped Scott Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Flyers organization is OK with how things are going in terms of the winger’s development. If he does start sitting out stretches, Grebenkin, who is waiver-exempt, could get sent back to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League to play a ton of minutes.

But that shouldn’t be the case. Grebenkin deserves a chance to work things out at the NHL level. He brings energy and jam to the lineup with some skill.

And, for now, the Flyers are trying to find him time in Philly. But is he a fourth liner or should he play up higher? Grebenkin has the skill to play higher in the lineup; he just needs to play more consistently. And the crux is, is there really anyone he can supplant in the top nine?

Across his first six games, when he often skated on the fourth line, he averaged 8:53 of ice time, picked up one assist, and logged a plus-minus of minus-4.

After sitting out for a pair of games, he averaged a minute more in the next five, posting a goal, an assist, and a plus-1 rating. When Tyson Foerster was out, the Russian winger was often deployed higher in the lineup. He skated a season-high 12:24 in the Flyers’ loss to the Dallas Stars on Nov. 15, and wasn’t on the ice for a goal against despite the Stars scoring four at even strength.

Tocchet has said that Grebenkin has communicated to him that he’s been thinking too much on the ice. He wants him to be “sticky” and stay in piles. The winger can also bring skill to a fourth line that has not scored a goal this season when on the ice together.

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“Especially at the start of the year, feel like you can’t get him off the puck down low, or if two guys go on him, you feel like he’s going to lose it, but he comes out with it,” Ābols said. “I think that’s one of his strong attributes, and obviously, quite skilled with the puck. It’s maybe, at some points, [something] we lack on our line, realistically. Once he’s on his game, he can make those little plays and bring some skill.”

Ābols has also played a key role in helping Grebenkin work on his game. The Latvian speaks several languages, including Russian, and told Tocchet in training camp that he can help translate.

The bench boss said the center even helps during games, something he was often spotted doing last season with Matvei Michkov.

“Yeah, those situations you can see when they talk to their coaches, and you kind of see their lost face, then I kind of slide in,” Ābols said. “I’m going to try any way I can, whether it’s translating or helping anyway I can.”

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Forwards Owen Tippett and Foerster did not skate on Friday. Tocchet said they are a “little banged” up. Both had maintenance days, and Tocchet expects them to play on Saturday.