PHILADELPHIA -- Steve Mason and Ray Emery are new teammates, but they're in a very familiar situation.

The two parts of the Philadelphia Flyers' goaltending tandem started training camp on equal footing in the quest for playing time, and it's a situation both should be used to.

Last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Mason started the season battling Sergei Bobrovsky for playing time. It was a battle Bobrovsky eventually won, which led to Mason's arrival in Philadelphia at the trade deadline.

At the same time Mason was competing with Bobrovsky, Emery was doing the same with Chicago Blackhawks teammate Corey Crawford for time in net. That situation was a bit different as Emery pushed Crawford all season, and Crawford only emerged as the No. 1 option when Emery was sidelined late in the regular season and at the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a lower-body injury.

CALGARY -- Sven Baertschi knows what's at stake. He knows there are no guarantees.

The 20-year-old rookie is aware that despite closing last season as the team's hottest forward with points in seven straight games to close the season, he's no lock to start the season with the Calgary Flames.

"That's what's really exciting about this camp this year," Baertschi said. "There's not much guaranteed here and everyone has to earn a spot. It should be really intense out there and that's the fun part about hockey. If it wasn't intense, it wouldn't be much fun."

Taken by the Flames with the 13th pick of the 2011 NHL Draft, Baertschi had set the bar to almost unattainable expectations when he scored three goals in five games during an emergency call-up from the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League in 2011-12.

New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal said Thursday he is entering training camp much improved from an eye injury than when he tried to come back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.

"I'm more adapted to it and a lot more used to it," Staal said. "The vision hasn't changed much, but the perception, what I'm seeing on the ice, has [gotten] way better than when I was trying to come back in the playoffs a few months ago, so that's a big step for me."

Armed with a new six-year contract, Cody Hodgson found himself in a familiar spot Thursday at Buffalo Sabres training camp: on a line with Thomas Vanek.

Buffalo's top two scorers from last season skated with Marcus Foligno.

"We like [Vanek and Hodgson] together for sure. They were good last year," coach Ron Rolston told the team's website. "I think Cody can make plays, really good vision plays and obviously [Vanek's] a good finisher.

"Right now we've got Marcus there to provide some heavy hockey hopefully on the wing, hopefully if Marcus can come in and continue to play that way, be physical and make some space for those guys."

Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss skated together on a line with Johan Franzen when the Detroit Red Wings opened training camp Thursday.

Alfredsson and Weiss each signed this offseason as a free agent, leaving longtime relationships with their former team, the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, respectively.

For Alfredsson, the change did have some familiarity.

"It's not too different," Alfredsson said, according to The Associated Press. "I see a lot of similarities. I don't know if it's because [Senators coach Paul MacLean] in Ottawa was part of this organization for a long time and applied some of the ideas with some of his own. It's not far off. ... It looks like I should have a pretty easy time adjusting."

It turns out Daniel Cleary isn't leaving the Detroit Red Wings after all.

Cleary signed a one-year contract with the team Thursday after reports had him joining the Philadelphia Flyers.

"I'm sorry to everybody for the drama that was created. It's just not my style," Cleary told the team's website after arriving in Traverse City, Mich. for training camp. "Social media at times can be frustrating, but that’s the world we live in and I apologize to all of the writers, the Philly writers, but I'm a Red Wing and I'm proud to be a Red Wing."

EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers have too many defensemen for too few roster spots.

Heading into training camp, the Oilers are counting on competition enhancing performance with nine defensemen under NHL contract.

That doesn’t include Oscar Klefbom, the highly touted Swede the club took in the first round (No. 19) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

"There's only 23 roster spots, and after you get to the 13 forwards that you're going to carry for sure, the numbers start going the other way for the defensemen," Oilers coach Dallas Eakins said. "There is going to be a very, real battle there, I suspect between four or five of them.

"These exhibition games, staying healthy and every second of practice are going to be important times for those men."

SAN JOSE -- San Jose Sharks forward Martin Havlat has been skating on his own for weeks but he wasn't cleared to practice Thursday when the team opened training camp and there is no timetable for his return.

Havlat had bilateral pelvic floor reconstruction surgery in early June. He was injured in the first period of the Sharks' Stanley Cup Playoff opener against the Vancouver Canucks. Havlat came back for Game 3 in the next round against the Los Angeles Kings but was reinjured in the first period, ending his season.

Havlat said he's feeling pretty good but doesn't know when he'll be cleared to practice.

"We'll see," Havlat said. "Right now we're working together with the medical team. We're doing everything as fast as we can [to] be back with the boys again."

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Francois Beauchemin hardly looked like he was easing back into hockey on the first day of training camp for the Anaheim Ducks.

Most players take part in one of three on-ice sessions, but the defenseman was in back-to-back hour-long skates and did all the drills, without taking contact. It was Beauchemin’s call, and he made coaches a little nervous when he bumped up against Emerson Etem.

"They said 'OK, back off, back off,'" Beauchemin said. "But I just wasn't going to let him beat me wide."

Beauchemin is less than four months removed from May 16 surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee, an injury that can take up to six months to heal. He said his goal is to play in the season opene

CALGARY -- Bob Hartley knows who will be the next captain of the Calgary Flames.

He's just not telling.

Searching for a replacement after dealing franchise face and longtime captain Jarome Iginla in the days leading up to the trade deadline last season, Hartley's got the "C" firmly stitched on the jersey of one of his players.

"I want to make it clear, we're not thinking of someone, our choice is made up a long time ago," Hartley said after the coach watched his team hit the ice for the first time in training camp.

"We sat last year, we went through the individual meetings, we talked with the players, I sat down and talked with Jay, I talked with management, I even talked with ownership and our choice was clear-cut. We have some very good prospects to be captains, to be assistant captains. All our meetings were done and basically we were coming up with one name.

"It was basically unanimous that it was the one guy."