Is Brayden Schenn Going to Break Out for Philadelphia Flyers in 2014-15?

The Philadelphia Flyers have a number of burning questions heading into training camp which will greatly impact their 2014-15 season, and Brayden Schenn undeniably poses one of the biggest.

He is, at the present time, a very average second-line center. He scored at a 0.55 point-per-game pace in the lockout-shortened 2013 season and scored at exactly a 0.50 point-per-game pace in 2013-14. 

Forty-one points is not a poor season by any stretch, and it's encouraging that Schenn played in all 82 contests. But it isn't a particularly good year either and certainly can't be considered great.

When the Flyers traded away then-captain Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 2011, Schenn was the keystone in the deal as a recently anointed "best prospect in hockey."

Suffice to say, Philly fans were probably expecting better than what they have gotten thus far.

It's important to remember that Schenn's first year as a Flyer was marred by injuries, which probably made it harder to get acclimated to a new city and team. His 2013 and 2013-14 seasons showed bits and pieces of small improvements, but there were no drastic jumps forward. 

His 15 minutes and 45 seconds of ice time per game (his 2013-14 average) is pretty low for a second-line center, although another component of Schenn's inconsistency can be attributed to his bouncing around from wing to center and back.

His 178 shots on goal is also not nearly enough for a player with a scoring touch like Schenn's. Neither is nine power play points.

His advanced metrics? Mostly average as well, if not flat-out disappointing. According to SomeKindofNinja, he started 55.2 percent of shifts in the offensive zone, played against weak competition and yet still had a negative Corsi percentage.

Granted, he played on a less-than-stellar second line, and his time with Vincent Lecavalier hurt him (and everyone else) in terms of possession. But regardless, he needs to show a higher capability to drive possession, which is such a crucial element of being a second-line center.

To clarify: None of this is terrible. It just, well, isn't as good as people thought.

The saving grace here is of course the fact that Schenn just turned 23 years old last month and still has time to develop. And anyone who watches him play can see that he clearly has a ton of talent. He is a solid skater, hits hard, plays with energy and has ample offensive skill as well.

He just hasn't put all of this together for a long stretch yet and seems to disappear during games. Whether it's mental, physical, emotional or some mix of the three, that has to be fixed. 

Schenn's wingers will have a major impact on his breakout potential this season. One one side, there's a good chance he'll have Wayne Simmonds on his right, which is a great thing.

Simmonds is coming into his own as a near-elite power forward and should assume an even bigger leadership role this season while establishing himself as a consistent 30-goal scorer. His leadership, physical presence and ability to finish around the net provides a major boost to the second line. But the question mark is on the other side.

To be honest, I have no idea who is going to play there, or even who should. Matt Read probably won't be split from Sean Couturier on the third line, which is for the best. Everyone seems to be on the bandwagon right now, but Jason Akeson is not second-line material. Neither is Michael Raffl nor Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Maybe R.J. Umberger can step in there as a temporary replacement, but that's not optimal.

That leaves...Scott Laughton? He would almost certainly be overmatched there. Notice how I haven't mentioned Lecavalier yet; that's because all Flyers fans should hope and pray that he stays on the fourth line where he belongs, high salary or not.

There is also the possibility that Simmonds moves up to the first line, which would be awful for Schenn.

But Paul Holmgren doesn't know how to properly construct a roster and realize that forwards play certain positions for a reason, so here we are.

If Simmonds stays with Schenn and one of those forwards steps up to the challenge, that will amplify Schenn's potential to break out.

Schenn has a lot of talent. His situation isn't optimal, but it's not all that bad either. He could certainly have an enormous year and live up to his potential. Just don't hold your breath.