Photo Courtesy of, Yuri Kuzmin, KHL
With the NHL Draft on the horizon later tonight and tomorrow. There should be a lot of movement NHL wide in terms of interesting draft selections and potential trades.
From the Philadelphia Flyers perspective the franchise is certainly going to be an active one during the draft. Not only do they hold the #7 overall pick but they also will be picking at #22 overall in the 1st around as well. An extra 1st round pick acquired in the Ivan Provorov deal.
Aside from the upcoming Draft the Flyers were busy on other fronts yesterday. Specifically, General Manager Daniel Briere traded Center Kevin Hayes to the St Louis Blues.
Hayes Trade Breakdown
In return the Flyers received a 2024 sixth round pick. However, the integral factor of the deal was the Flyers retaining 50 percent of Hayes’ 7.142 million dollar cap hit. Essentially making the veteran forward a 3.5 million dollar player for the Blues which propelled them to take Hayes off the Flyers hands. As there were prior rumblings of the Flyers actively looking to move on from Hayes since the Trade Deadline earlier in the year. With the trade being completed the Flyers are now on the hook for a 3.571 million dollar cap hit for the remainder of the contract which is 3 seasons.
When assessing the deal and why it occurred the writing was on the wall for Kevin Hayes in Philadelphia. Mainly this was due to the relationship with Head Coach John Tortorella, which was reported to be “fractured” by several media outlets. Coupling that with the fact Hayes was receiving significantly less ice time as last season went along. This eventually resulted in the player filling a 3rd line wing role. It was evident Hayes had fallen out of favour with Tortorella in a big way. Ultimately, this was why the trade had to happen as the relationship between Hayes and Tortorella had seemed to be beyond repairable.
However, losing a 50-60 point player for only a 6th rounder and retaining 50 percent of the cap hit is never a good thing. It appears as though the Ryan Johansen trade to Colorado earlier in the week backed the Flyers into a corner regarding the value for Hayes.
Johanen, the better player, was recently moved to Colorado where 50 percent of his his 8 million dollar cap hit was retained by Nashville. The Predators got a worse return in exchange (received rights to Alex Galchenyuk) and Nashville retained more money than the Flyers did. The above outlines what the market value for a high cap hit Center over 30 such as Hayes essentially would be. Further cementing that the situation was tough for Briere to work around.
In terms of positives to take away, trading Hayes provides opportunity for younger players to establish themselves on the Flyers main roster. With the Flyers as a franchise looking to get cumulatively younger in relation to the lineup being iced, trading Hayes was an inevitable outcome.
2023 Top 10 Mock Draft
- Conor Bedard – Chicago
- Adam Fantilli – Anaheim
- Leo Carlsson – Columbus
- Matvei Michkov – San Jose
- Will Smith – Montreal
- Ryan Leonard – Arizona
- Zach Benson – Philadelphia
- Dalibor Dvorsky – Washington
- Gabe Perrault – Detroit
- David Reinbacher – St. Louis
2023 Top 10, Vasili’s Rankings:
- Bedard
- Michkov
- Fantilli
- Carlsson
- Benson
- Smith
- Leonard
- Dvorsky
- Perrault
- Cristall
Why I Think The Flyers Select Zach Benson
When addressing the #7 overall pick the Flyers will be making later this evening. The ideal for the organization would be to have Matvei Michkov fall into their laps at that spot. The talented Michkov possesses is elite and that is something the Flyers have been desperately lacking.
Although that has been a rumored possibility, there’s no doubt in my mind that Michkov is the 2nd most talented player in this draft from a pure skill perspective. Especially when dissecting his ability to handle the puck in tight spaces, carry the puck into the offensive zone and, open up space for himself and teammates. Michkov’s quick shot release and shooting accuracy only furthers my thought process above.
Below are some stats that describe exactly how skilled Michkov is. The young winger had a 0.67 points per game in the KHL this season in his draft eligible year. This is effectively the highest point per game average for a Draft eligible KHL player in the last 20 years. If you even go back to the days of the Russian Super League, Michkov’s point per game average surpasses Alexander Ovechkin who had a 0.45 PPG in his draft eligible season.
Due to the above, it’s doubtful an NHL organization and one of the 6 Amateur Scouting Staffs that select before the Flyers at pick 7 overall do not select Michkov. The offensive talent is undeniable and it’s difficult to see team’s passing up on a potential generational talent. Even with the question marks surrounding Michkov. That are primarily related to the young forward being under contract with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL for the next three seasons.
Another thing to keep in mind is that teams have now had a chance to speak with Michkov face to face and interview the player. With that being an added element I believe it becomes even more likely a team selecting 2nd overall to 6th will draft Michkov before he falls to the Flyers at 7 overall.
As a result, my prediction is the Flyers will select Zach Benson with the 7th pick in the draft. Though Benson is smaller in size he makes up for it in his tenacious compete level and his willingness to forecheck relentlessly.
Benson is always moving on the ice and is a high motor player. He tends to try to get inside positioning on opposition defenders and his stick lifting efficiency and high motor is a direct contributor to that.
What really makes Benson an enticing player is his high level hockey sense. Benson typically puts himself in the right positions on the ice which is hockey IQ. Leading to the winger being in scoring positions but also making plays that can benefit his teammates and put them in similar scoring areas on the ice.
His playmaking ability and passing is correlated with the above. As Benson is constantly looking to set his teammates up for scoring chances with his passing. His hockey IQ allows him to identify open passing lanes and areas on the ice to put the puck into with his passing ability.
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When assessing Benson’s overall skill set I believe he is a top 5 level talent in this particular Draft. With the Flyers having several shoot-first players in their system at the moment such as Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster and, Cutter Gauthier. Selecting a prospect such as Benson who can set-up teammates for scoring chances so efficiently would make a lot of sense, considering the Flyers severely lack bona-fide top line level playmakers on their 1st line.
One final thought to add here regarding Benson is that in the last 5 years only Connor Bedard has more Under 18 points than him. Primarily this showcases exactly how talented Benson is and his ability to produce offense at an elite level.
I’ll be at the NHL Draft in Nashville covering all things Flyers for the next two days.
I’ll have constant on the floor coverage from rounds 1-7 on Twitter so please follow @FlyerItUp to stay in the loop.
Plan A- Michkov, B- Leonard, C- Benson.