Caleb Weiler
Ever since April 29th, Flyers fans have been looking forward to tonight to see who is going to be the next superstar for the Orange and Black.
When the NHL Draft Lottery took place, the Flyers only had a 2.7% chance of jumping into the top three but managed to jump into the second spot in the draft with only a 2.4% chance of doing so.
This is some sweet karma for missing out on the first overall pick 10 years ago.
This has been labeled as a two-player draft with Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick at the top. Floating reports now have Patrick falling to the Flyers, given the rumors the Devils may be looking to trade down or take a defenseman with the No. 1 overall pick.
Patrick would be an excellent fit in the Orange and Black because he played in juniors with current Flyers stud defenseman Ivan Provorov, winning the WHL Championship with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2016. Not only that, but Brayden Schenn and general manager Ron Hextall played for Brandon during their time in juniors as well. There’s some interesting history there.
There have been rumblings of a couple different things occurring tonight on draft day.
- The Las Vegas Golden Knights are going to try to make a splash and move up into the top two. Ron Hextall has already squashed this rumor unless there is an extreme overpayment.
- New Jersey is interested in defenseman Cale Makar, there are rumors that he is number one on their draft board. If they take Makar at one that means that the Flyers will get to pick from Patrick and Hischier.
There have also been rumors that Vegas could move up to the first overall spot, but Makar might not be available at six, so it doesn’t seem likely to me.
My dream scenario is for Patrick to fall to the Flyers at two, he has been the top rated prospect for the last two years before Hischier’s rise. Between his size, shot and all around 200-foot game Patrick would be a great fit for the Flyers.
The draft is tonight at seven so be sure to check in to see who is the next star for the Orange and Black.
You can follow Caleb Weiler on Twitter (@TheBitter_Caleb) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer), Facebook and Instagram.