Brayden Schenn practices on top line with Hartnell, Giroux

Expectations surrounding Brayden Schenn have been high for years and this might be the season he breaks out.

He averaged a point-per-game with the AHL Adirondack Phantoms during the lockout and has been reunited with his brother Luke Schenn. On top of that, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette had him playing on the first line with Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell during Sunday’s practice, according to the Philadelphia Flyers’ official website.

Naturally, the lines at the start of training camp won’t necessarily last for more than a couple days, let alone until even the start of the season. Still, it’s an early demonstration of Laviolette’s willingness to experiment with putting Schenn in bigger roles after he was limited to 14:07 minutes per game in 2011-12.

“There’s no question that the expectation is a lot of our young players will see expanded roles to penalty kill or power play, or moving up to play higher up in the lineup and playing more minutes,” Laviolette said. “It’s a natural progression with young players and we’ll certainly see that with our group.”

Schenn thinks his time with Adirondack helped build his confidence.

“I feel ready and great going into this year,” Schenn added.