Draft Reaction

With the 2014 NHL Draft now having its own complete Wikipedia page, the focus now shifts from who will it be to who are they and when will they be here. The Flyers owned picks number 17, 48, 86, 138, 168, and 198. Ron Hextall’s stated goal was to improve team speed and draft high-character players. The Flyers had to draft players to fill these needs, especially outside the first round.

There is exactly one player on the Flyers that was drafted by the team outside of the first round in Zac Rinaldo. They only have first round picks Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Steve Downie (for a few more days) still on the roster. The rest of the team was filled via trade and free agency. Building a team this way worked before the Salary Cap Era, however now with it firmly in place homegrown talent is a cost effective way to fill out a roster.

Successful teams are built from the draft. Key players can be brought in from free agency, but the core is home grown. Chicago has Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook. Los Angeles has Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty, Anze Koptiar, and Dustin Brown. The Flyers counter with Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Zac Rinaldo. Not much competition. Now the Flyers are good at finding young free agent players, such as Matt Read, Michael Raffl, potentially Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and Sergei Bobrovsky. Hopefully the players taken will soon be making an impact for the Orange and Black.

Rd. 1 Travis Sanheim (D)

Some team was going to pick this fast riser. Originally projected as a second or third round pick, Sanheim rose to number 8 in TSN Craig Button’s draft ranking. Sanheim possesses a big frame that will be a solid second pair defenseman. A smart defender with good mobility, Sanheim plays a solid, unspectacular game. With the three most recent drafts, the Flyers have invested heavily in the defensive core. Sanheim will develop with Samuel Morin, Robert Hagg, and Shayne Gostisbehere as the future defensive core of the Flyers. One downside of Sanheim is that he, like the other recent draft picks, is a left-handed shooting defenseman.

Rd. 2 Nicolas Aube-Kubel (W)

With Roland McKeown and Jack Dougherty surprisingly still on the board, the Flyers decided to take winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel with the 48^th overall pick. Aube-Kubel is a smaller, but skilled player that can play either center or, more likely, wing. Despite his size, Aube-Kubel is not afraid to throw the body around and work hard to win puck battles.

Rd. 3 Mark Friedman (D)

With their third pick, the Flyers once again went the defensive route taking Mark Friedman from the USHL. Friedman is an offensive defensemen taking the college route, similar to Gostisbehere. He will attend Bowling Green in the fall, so he will not sign for at least two years, more likely, three.

Rd. 5 Oscar Lindblom (W)

A mid-season faller, Oscar Lindblom has NHL size and toughness. He battles for every puck. He could potentially be an NHL player as he skates well, but is streaky and suffered from prolonged slumps this season. He was moved through three different levels last season, which did not help him find his consistency until late in the season.

Rd. 6 Radel Fazleev (W)

Typically shying away from anything east of Sweden, the Flyers took Russian Radel Fazleev. He is not a traditional Russian, as he played last season with Travis Sanheim with Calgary of the WHL. He has decent size and potential; he was taken ninth overall in the KHL draft. Playing in the CHL seems to indicate a willingness to play in the NHL, but if things do not work out, do not be surprised to see him head back to Russia.

Rd. 7 Jesper Petterson (D)

Small, but strong Jesper Petterson was the Flyers final pick. The Swede is gifted defensively, but limited offensively with a tough style of defense. Despite being 190 lbs. and muscular, he unfortunately stands at only 5’9, which will hold him back. Hardworking and smart, Petterson could potentially overcome his smaller stature, but the odds will be stacked against him.