NHL Draft Night 1 - My Take on the Flyers Decisions
Posted 11:21 PM ET | Comments 0
Just got home from attending my first NHL draft, and it was definitely worth it to go check it out, especially with it being Round 1! I unfortunately will not be attending any of the draft tomorrow. Anyway, so the 1st overall pick came and went, and the Flyers were not the team on the clock as there had been a lot of speculation about for the past few days. The final offer appeared to be Lecavalier, B-Schenn, and the 17th overall pick to Florida for the 1st (which would have been Ekblad to the Flyers). Apparently, the asking price had been Simmonds in there instead. Props to Hextall for not giving up too much just to draft first overall! I was nervous with all of the rumors going around that maybe there would be a very large deal made. The Flyers ended up keeping their 17th overall pick, and used it to draft Travis Sanheim, who I really had not heard a lot about going into this draft. After reading some of the scouting on him, it appears that he is a solid 2-way defenseman, and when he fills into his 6'3'' frame, he will be a large presence on the ice as well. Apparently he can skate well, which is very needed on the Flyers' defense, and he has good hockey IQ. It doesn't sound like there are too many negatives about this kid, or nothing amazing that stands out, but rather he has potential in numerous areas. Check out this pool of defensemen prospects that are being built up! It's a nice change. At this rate, you have to wonder if we see Gostisbehere, Hagg, or maybe Manning or Lauridsen get some action for the Flyers on a semi-regular basis this upcoming season. All-in-all, I am happy with the Flyers' pick, and I really hope a move is made to shake things up a little bit tomorrow. Demko, the goalie from Boston College, is still on the board and there was talk that Hextall is a fan of him, so maybe the Flyers make a splash early tomorrow? There was also talk about talks between the Flyers and a "Western Conference Canadian Team" potentially setting up a deal. To end the article, I am just going to remind everyone that Flyers fans are the most passionate in hockey, and we definitely let Bettman and the Penguins hear it in true Philly fashion.