Downie not dwelling on the playoffs

From Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Downie, the Flyers’ 2005 first-round pick, said he’s focusing exclusively on his skating during this summer. He is working on losing weight to go along with a lot of power skating drills.

Making the team out of camp in the fall isn’t a given. Right wing is all of a sudden a crowded position, with Mike Knuble, Joffrey Lupul, rookie Claude Giroux and free-agent acquisition Arron Asham all in the mix, along with Downie.

“Nothing’s guaranteed,” Downie said. “That makes everyone work that much harder. There will be a lot of competition in camp.”

Read the entire article here.

Downie brings a real edge to his game, but sometimes he goes over that edge. If he can improve his decision-making and continue to play his rugged style, the youngster should crack the Flyers’ opening day roster.