Brayden Schenn

BORN IN Canada three years and four days apart, traded from the Kings to the Flyers on the same day this June, new-to-us Brayden Schenn (left), a center, and Wayne Simmonds (right), a winger, celebrate their b-days this week. Today Schenn slap-shots 20 (no Molson for you!). On Friday "Simmer" hat-tricks 23. The two still may be making their way to town - training camp starts in three weeks. But soon the former Kings will be princes of Philly, or at least studs of South Jersey. High above the ice, next year's stars will shine bright for Schenn, who'll dig his new home - and a certain lady friend.

PITTSBURGH — Brayden Schenn was floating on a glass-smooth Shell Lake in Saskatchewan on Saturday afternoon when his phone rang. The Caller ID on his iPhone said it was his older brother, Luke, but Brayden wasn't sure what he could possibly want. But with the excitement in Luke's voice, Brayden knew exactly what was happening. It was something he thought a lot about, especially after watching the NHL draft on Friday night, when he heard the news about Penguins forward Jordan Staal being reunited with his older brother, Eric, in Carolina.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - In the first three-plus weeks of the season, the Flyers have been maddeningly inconsistent and have rarely put together three strong periods. Tuesday was an exception. The Flyers finally played well in all three zones in each period, and the result was a much-needed, 3-2 win over Winnipeg, a victory that ended their four-game road losing streak. "What I liked about it was it was 60 minutes of a committed hockey team that went out to win a game to keep us moving in the right direction," coach Peter Laviolette said after the Flyers improved to 2-6 on the road.

The stars seemed aligned for Flyers forward Brayden Schenn this season. He was healthy after an injury-plagued 2011-12 season and was ecstatic to be reunited with his older brother, Luke. In addition, he figured to have a carryover effect from a strong second half of his rookie year. The NHL lockout, however, has Schenn's projected breakout season on hold. Schenn, 21, is one of several Flyers who are in training camp with the AHL Adirondack Phantoms because of the lockout.

Maybe it's because opponents now have a book on them, or maybe it's because some of the second-year Flyers are pressing. Whatever the reason, Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn are going through sophomore slumps. Ditto Matt Read, who has stumbled after a hot start. Entering Thursday's game against the New York Islanders, all three were in long goal-scoring droughts: Couturier at 24 consecutive games, Schenn at 12, and Read at nine. Coach Peter Laviolette was asked whether he was concerned that the streaks might start weighing on the players.

ONE GAGGLE of cameras and audio recorders surrounded Wayne Simmonds. Another was quickly forming around Danny Briere. Brayden Schenn kept his head down and walked toward his stall in the corner of the Flyers' dressing room, distanced from the bright lights and eager microphones. Schenn, 21, entered Monday's action tied for 29th in NHL scoring with 19 points - ahead of such bigger names as Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Ovechkin and even Simmonds. Yet no player ahead of him on that list - especially no Flyer - has received less attention and fanfare this season.

After he took part in Sunday's practice in Voorhees, rookie center Brayden Schenn said he is healthy and available to play in Thursday's opener in Boston. But are the Flyers ready to put him on their roster? General manager Paul Holmgren said he probably won't finalize his decisions until Wednesday at 3 p.m., when rosters must be submitted to the NHL. Schenn, who missed the last two preseason games because of a shoulder injury, has a $3.1 million salary cap hit. If he starts the season with the AHL Phantoms, the Flyers will have cap space to include a player such as defenseman Matt Walker ($1.7 million cap hit)

When the Flyers' season starts Saturday afternoon against visiting Pittsburgh, it appears that Brayden Schenn will get the first crack at being their first-line right winger. "I want to go in there and win that spot and hopefully stay there," Schenn said after Monday's practice in Voorhees. During the first two days of training camp, Schenn was mostly on a line with star center Claude Giroux (28 goals, 93 points last season) and left winger Scott Hartnell (37 goals). "It's an opportunity to play with one of the top players in the league, and Hartnell is coming off a great year" said Schenn, 21. "For me, I'm just trying to blend in and find chemistry as quick as possible and hopefully step up and fill that role.

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. - When Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren finally signed off on a long-rumored trade to bring Brayden Schenn's older brother, Luke, over from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brayden was relaxing on a boat with friends on a lake in Saskatchewan. That was June 23. "The trade has sunk in," Brayden Schenn said Thursday. "But we haven't exactly had that first NHL game where we're on the same team, to get to share in that experience. " For now, as the NHL lockout reaches its 76th day on Friday, the Schenn brothers remain worlds apart.

TORONTO - Nearly 2 years younger, Flyers forward Brayden Schenn has relied on his older brother, Luke, to help navigate the ropes of the NHL. Luke Schenn had nearly 150 NHL games under his belt by the time Brayden finally got his chance with the Flyers last season. This year, the protégé has guided the veteran. "He's got a little seniority with the Flyers," Luke Schenn said with a smile. "He's showed me the ways a little bit. " Brayden was traded to the Flyers from Los Angeles in 2011.

First in a series   THE FIRST order of business for Paul Holmgren this summer is determining which unit was more a cause of concern for the Flyers: the offense or the defense. For me, it's a clear answer. Even if they remained completely healthy all season, the Flyers' biggest weakness remained on the back end, where they entered the season one or two solid pieces away from even being considered a true contender. Yes, the Flyers scored nearly a half-goal less per game during the shortened season, but they also gave up more than they scored.

  Coach Peter Laviolette's attacking system didn't work for the Flyers this season. The fact is, opponents had the better scoring chances, had many more odd-man rushes, and had goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's head on a swivel as he watched teams cycle the puck around him. Do not be misled by the shots-on-goal figures that show the Flyers averaged 29 shots per game (15th in the 30-team NHL) and allowed 28.6 (tied for 12th). A majority of the Flyers' shots came from outside, while many of their opponents' attempts came on three-on-twos, two-on-ones, and breakaways.

First in a series OTTAWA - All season, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has steadfastly insisted he likes the team he has put together. His attempted offseason moves last year, however, suggest otherwise. By trying to bring free agents Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Zach Parise to Philadelphia, Holmgren, in effect, was saying the Flyers needed major upgrades. Holmgren can be applauded for trying to add the marquee players, but when he struck out on those three stars, his Plan B - adding recycled free agents such as Ruslan Fedotenko, Kurtis Foster, and Bruno Gervais - was a step backward.

OTTAWA - Given the way it started in October, even Jason Akeson probably couldn't have predicted tonight's finish to the season. Imagine leading the Phantoms in scoring last season and training relentlessly during the summer, only to find out that you were demoted to the neglected depths of the ECHL. The Flyers simply said Akeson - who netted 55 points in 76 games in his first profesional season - was a victim of numbers, since the likes of Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Zac Rinaldo were filling up top six forward positions.

The Flyers' defense is running out of healthy bodies. They recalled Brandon Manning and Matt Konan from Adirondack of the AHL on Tuesday to replace injured defensemen Kent Huskins (concussion) and Bruno Gervais (torn stomach muscle), who are both out for the season. Manning picked up an assist - his first NHL point - on Brayden Schenn's first-period goal Tuesday against the New York Rangers. "It's exciting. This is where you want to be," Manning, 22, said before the game.

The Flyers on Thursday signed a speedy, late-blooming right winger who was a second-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010. Petr Straka, a 6-foot, 195-pound free agent who reportedly was courted by 12 NHL teams, signed a three-year, entry-level deal to start next season. He will earn $925,000 next year, including a $92,333 signing bonus, and likely will play for the AHL's Phantoms. Playing for Baie-Comeau of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Straka had 41 goals and 41 assists in 55 regular-season games this year.

TORONTO - Centers Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier have suffered through sophomore slumps, but they played major roles Thursday as the resilient Flyers outlasted the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-3, at the Air Canada Centre and increased their season-best winning streak to four games. "We're both trying to step up," Schenn said after the Flyers climbed to within two points of the eighth-place Rangers in the Eastern Conference. "We're getting the opportunity, playing on the power play and playing with good players.

Maybe it's because opponents now have a book on them, or maybe it's because some of the second-year Flyers are pressing. Whatever the reason, Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn are going through sophomore slumps. Ditto Matt Read, who has stumbled after a hot start. Entering Thursday's game against the New York Islanders, all three were in long goal-scoring droughts: Couturier at 24 consecutive games, Schenn at 12, and Read at nine. Coach Peter Laviolette was asked whether he was concerned that the streaks might start weighing on the players.

Other than Claude Giroux, the Flyers have not received much production from their centers this season. That will have to change or they will miss the playoffs for just the second time in the last 18 seasons. The Flyers, who are finishing a five-day break in the schedule, return to the ice Sunday night in Pittsburgh, where they emerged with a wild 6-5 victory last month. They need to get their struggling centers untracked. Danny Briere and Brayden Schenn, who have alternated between center and wing, are in goal-scoring droughts.

Flyers winger Jake Voracek looked outside the locker room and pointed toward the league standings that hung on the opposite wall. The playoffs are still in reach, said Voracek, who noted that the Flyers were just five points out of the Eastern Conference's eighth and final postseason spot Thursday. That's a rather positive outlook for a Flyers team that has dropped five of its last seven games. Three of the losses came to division opponents. In the midst of a five-day break before they face the Penguins Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Flyers displayed a new look at Thursday's two-hour practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees.