The Flyers had a string of good luck on Saturday April 29, 2017. They moved up 11 slots to the 2nd overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, in which the orange and black drafted Nolan Patrick. This pick was a potential life changing turn of events for this proud franchise, and although Patrick has had his fair share of bumps in the road he still shows promise and hope of what he can be as he is just 22-years-old.
This year is the first year that the Flyers have been placed into the draft lottery since having that string of good luck in 2017. Flyers fans throughout the World were glued to their televisions to see if they could once again move up from pick #13, as the Arizona Coyotes have forfeited their first round selection, to as high as the top pick of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Unfortunately, the Flyers will stand pat at pick #13 as the Arizona Coyotes will forfeit their first round pick this year. This was sort of to be expected, as it is very rare to move up significant spots to better a teams positioning at the draft. The Flyers will now prepare themselves for a busy offseason that will be filled with lots of movement.
Do not be disappointed Flyers fans. There will be some good names on the board if the Flyers make this selection at #13. Some prospects that are slated to be at #13 are Cole Sillinger, Carson Lambos, Chaz Lucius, and Fyodor Svechkov. Are these generational talents? Well, no…at least not on the surface, but each one of these prospects could pan out to be very good players.
The question still remains, will Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher keep the 13th pick or use it in a trade to acquire a much needed top pairing defenseman or middle pairing defenseman for that matter. Only time will tell, but don’t panic Flyers fans, we will keep you informed every step of the way. Buckle up folks, this is going to be a fun offseason.
Kevin Hayes Update:
The Flyers said Kevin Hayes had successful sports hernia surgery last week. His recovery time is expected to be five weeks.
