Gudas skipping World Cup to prep for Flyers season

Radko Gudas, who will miss the World Cup because of an injured right wrist, was among a handful of Flyers veterans skating at the team's practice facility in Voorhees on Monday - 12 days before they are required to be on the ice.

But while Gudas said the wrist has been slow to heal - he can't shoot because of the pain - the burly defenseman is confident he will be ready when the Flyers open the season Oct. 14 in Los Angeles.

Gudas, along with Flyers teammates Jake Voracek and Michal Neuvirth, had been among the players selected for Team Czech Republic, but he had to bypass the upcoming tournament because of the wrist injury.

"It's a little disappointing because I had been looking forward to that all summer," said Gudas, 26, "but in the end, I have to be 100 percent for the Flyers' season. My main focus is the Flyers' season."

Gudas had been bothered by the wrist last season, and "I was working on it in the offseason and maybe overdoing it a little bit," he said. "I just have to stay on top of it and make sure everything heals up."

He wouldn't get into specifics about the injury, other than to say he had ligament damage and there was "a small issue that could cause a big one, so we decided we're not going to take the chance of me getting hurt in the week and a half or two weeks at the tournament."

Gudas, who has the wrist taped, said it could take one to three weeks before he is 100 percent, but he expects to be ready for the opener. He is the Flyers' most physical defender.

"I don't think the start of the season is in any danger," he said. "I'm pretty positive I'm going to be ready."

Right now, he is able to pass the puck, but shooting it or absorbing contact is painful to the wrist.

One of the Flyers hoping to land a roster spot as a physical defender is Sam Morin, a 6-foot-7, 227-pounder who had 19 points (four goals) and 118 penalty minutes with the AHL's Phantoms last season.

Morin is one of seven defensemen who will be at the team's rookie camp, which starts Monday in Voorhees. Morin was one of numerous rookies who have arrived at camp early to work on their game.

Playing for the Phantoms helped Morin move one step closer to the NHL.

"I was playing my role there. Playing big minutes and playing against the first line on the other team and it helped me a lot," said Morin, the Flyers' first pick in the 2013 draft. "I really improved my consistency."

Morin, who is striving to improve his quick starts and stops, is considered a long shot to make the team this year.

"I'm confident in myself," he said. "I worked really hard this summer for camp."

Among rookies, Ivan Provorov is the defenseman with the best chance to make the big-league team this year. If he doesn't earn a spot, he will have to return to his junior team in Brandon.

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