Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2022 18:55:33 GMT -6
After a devastating season which saw the Philadelphia Flyers fire their GM mid-season, only to replace him with a failed magician, they finished 25th in the PFHL. This gave them the 7th best odds for the 2022 PFHL Entry Draft Lottery, which carries a 6.5% chance at winning the lottery and picking first overall. The odds were stacked against them, and honestly, the Flyers had a better chance of dropping to 8th overall than picking 1st or 2nd. Either way, the team knew that they were going to get a special player with their pick (and another one at the end of the first round with Toronto's pick, if they would ever LOSE).
The big day was upon us, and as the Commissioner was revealing the cards with the team logos (or in this case, the team cheerleaders) on it, the pressure was on. We got to the 8th overall pick and the Washington Capitals were revealed, although that pick belongs to the Florida Panthers. That means that, at worst, the Flyers would be picking 7th, which is great news for the wonderful fans in Pennsylvania.
The Commissioner comes to the stage once again with the card for 7th overall and reveals the Montreal Canadiens logo. Wait, did the Philadelphia Flyers fold as a franchise and are no longer eligible to compete for the lottery or Lord Stanley's Cup? No, silly, it means that they were one of two lottery balls chosen and, at worst, will pick 2nd overall. The Arizona Coyotes were the other team that had won, originally supposed to choose 5th overall.
Wonderful news for each fanbase. Anyways, the Flyers won the big lottery and will select first overall in the 2022 Entry Draft.
Now, what should they do with the pick? Who is even available in the draft?
The consensus number 1 pick, a guy who has been at number 1 for awhile, is Shane Wright, a Canadian center who plays for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He's a hell of a two-way center, and he did play for the Don Mills Flyers organization in the Greater Toronto Hockey League from U-14 to U-16 before being granted exceptional status in the OHL. The Flyers are pretty deep with center prospects, as they have both Anton Lundell (who will make his Philly debut next season) and Mason McTavish (who is still a season away) in the pipeline, so do they go away from the consensus number 1 pick to choose a more favourable position?
A few more options for the number 1 pick include another center, Logan Cooley, an American center who played for the US National U18 team this past season and who will attend the University of Minnesota next season. The Flyers are American and they could really use another American hero on the team. John LeClair anybody? Perhaps they want to go the Europe route? Juraj Slafkovsky, a winger from Slovakia who had his draft status improve significantly with a fantastic World Championship performance for his country. He currently plays for TPS in the Finnish League and is already 6'4 and 218 lbs. Another winger, Finland's Joakim Kemell, is an outside shot at the first overall pick.
Do the Flyers go the defender route? They only have one former first round pick in the pipeline, the 32nd overall pick in 2021, Nolan Allan, and there are some strong options on the backend. Simon Nemec, the consensus number one defenseman prospect in the draft, is also from Slovakia and tore up the Slovakian League with HK Nitra. Would be a strong addition to the prospect pool, as would Czechia national David Jiricek. Seattle Thunderbird's Kevin Korchinski is an outside chance at being picked in the coveted top spot.
Would the Flyers consider trading the pick? Great question. I think any GM would open their DM's and speak to teams who would be interested in sending a package for the first overall pick in the 2022 PFHL Entry Draft. Could they use this free lottery win to improve the club for the future by sending the pick, who will be at least one season (most likely 2-3) away from even playing in the league, to get a piece or two or three which could really help the team now?
There is a lot of possibilities for the pick, and I just want to thank our lord and saviour Commissioners for gifting me this opportunity to choose first and like, 39th overall in the first two rounds.
Go Flyers!
