Re-Drafting the Flyers’ 2010s – Part I: 2011-2014
The NHL Draft goes a long way in building a franchise for the long-run, as long as you draft the right players.
Something easier said than done.
At the time of the draft, all teams have to look at is potential in a player and how they fit what they’re trying to build.
It’s almost like gambling. There are certain traits to look for in young players, but ultimately its a game of chance.
Luckily for the Flyers, luck has been on their side a lot this decade when it comes to drafting. Sean Couturier, Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, and Carter Hart were all drafted by the Flyers and have turned into very good NHL players.
Knowing what we know now, how different could the Flyers look had the entire NHL knowing what they know now about each player?
Let’s start with the first half of the decade (minus 2010 where the Flyers had no pick until the 3rd round).
2011 NHL Draft
*Original Pick: Flyers select Sean Couturier at 8th overall
Re-Draft Results
1st overall – Nikita Kucherov, Edmonton Oilers
2nd overall – Johnny Gaudreau, Colorado Avalanche
3rd overall – Mark Scheifele, Florida Panthers
4th overall – Gabriel Landeskog, New Jersey Devils
5th overall – Mika Zibanejad, New York Islanders
6th overall – John Gibson, Ottawa Senators
7th overall – Sean Couturier, Winnipeg Jets
8th Overall // Flyers select Goalie, Jordan Binnington
Photo: Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images
After just missing out on their original selection of Sean Couturier, the Flyers go for a goalie.
In this 2011 re-draft, Jordan Binnington shoots up the draft to the 8th spot from 88th overall and becomes the first goalie selected by the Flyers in the first round since Maxime Ouellet in 1999.
While there are some solid position players to take at 8th overall left on the board, the Flyers’ long search for a goalie outweighs those options and they go with Binnington, after spending over 5 seasons in the Blues’ system, has turned into a franchise goaltender and Stanley Cup Champion for St. Louis, posting a .916 save percentage in 109 total games.
While his time in the NHL has been short, he’s got plenty of accomplishments under his belt after being a virtual unknown until last season, making him an easy selection at 8th overall.
Others possibilities: Brandon Saad, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jonathan Huberdeau
2012 NHL Draft
*Original Pick: Flyers select Scott Laughton at 20th overall
*Note: (Team listed is the team that hypothetically selects a player in re-draft)
Re-Draft Results
1st – Andrei Vasilevskiy, Edmonton Oilers
2nd – Connor Hellebuyck, Columbus Blue Jackets
3rd – Filip Forsberg, Montreal Canadiens
4th – Matt Murray, New York Islanders
5th – Morgan Reilly, Toronto Maple Leafs
6th – Jacob Trouba, Anaheim Ducks
7th – Teuvo Teravainen- Minnesota Wild
8th – Tomas Hertl, Pittsburgh Penguins
9th – Frederik Andersen, Winnipeg Jets
10th – Jaccob Slavin, Tampa Bay Lightning
11th – Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals
12th – Colton Parayko, Buffalo Sabres
13th – Matthew Dumba, Dallas Stars
14th – Hampus Lindholm, Buffalo Sabres
15th – Tanner Pearson, Ottawa Senators
16th – Andreas Athanasiou, Washington Capitals
17th – Shayne Gostisbehere, San Jose Sharks
18th – Nikita Gusev, Chicago Blackhawks
19th – Joonas Korpisalo, Tampa Bay Lightning
20th Overall // Flyers select Winger, Alex Galchenyuk
Photo: Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review
Originally the third overall pick in the draft, Galchenyuk falls to the Flyers at number 20.
While the undersized winger has fallen off in production over the last season, he’s still consistently been a 40-50 point player and puts him ahead of Scott Laughton, the Flyers actual pick in 2012 for now.
With Galchenyuk, the Flyers nab themselves at worst a bottom-six player with the potential to play on the second line.
Other Possibilities: Ryan Murray, Damon Severson, Connor Brown
2013 NHL Draft
*Orginal Pick: Flyers select Samuel Morin at 11th overall
Re-Draft Results
1st – Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2nd – Seth Jones, Florida Panthers
3rd – Aleksander Barkov, Tampa Bay Lightning
4th – Sean Monahan, Nashville Predators
5th – Jake Guentzel, Carolina Hurricanes
6th – Bo Horvat, Calgary Flames
7th – Elias Lindholm, Edmonton Oilers
8th – Max Domi, Buffalo Sabres
9th – Anthony Mantha, Vancouver Canucks
10th – Rasmussen Ristolainen, Dallas Star
11th Overall // Flyers select Defenseman, Darnell Nurse
PHOTO: Perry Nelson/USA Today Sports
In this re-draft, the Flyers still take a big-bodied defenseman in Darnell Nurse who falls to them at 11.
Nurse was rumored to be a favorite for the Flyers during the draft process but ultimately was taken four spots ahead of their pick at 7th overall.
Here, however, with Guentzel and Mantha moving into the top ten, Nurse is there for the Flyers and is an obvious option over Samuel Morin whose career has been grounded by injuries.
Other Possibilities: Josh Morrissey, Brett Pesce, Jonathan Drouin
2014 NHL Draft
*Original Pick: Flyers select Travis Sanheim at 17th overall
Re-Draft Results
1st – David Pastrnak, Florida Panthers
2nd – Leon Draisaitl, Buffalo Sabres
3rd – Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
4th – Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
5th – Aaron Ekblad, New York Islanders
6th – William Nylander, Vancouver Canucks
7th – Nikolaj Ehlers, Carolina Hurricanes
8th – Viktor Arvidsson, Toronto Maple Leafs
9th – Sam Reinhart, Winnipeg Jets
10th – Jakub Vrana, Anaheim Ducks
11th – Kevin Labanc, Nashville Predators
12th – Alex Tuch, Arizona Coyotes
13th – Ondrej Kase, Washington Capitals
14th – Kasperi Kapanen, Dallas Stars
15th – Kevin Fiala, Detroit Red Wings
16th – Brendan Montour, Columbus Blue Jackets
17th Overall // Flyers select Defenseman, Travis Sanheim
Photo: Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire
Just like they did in 2014, the Flyers take Travis Sanheim as their second consecutive defenseman taken in the first round.
In his three seasons with the Flyers, we’ve seen Sanheim grow into a top-pairing defenseman, especially since Dave Hakstol’s firing in 2018.
Now 24 years old, Sanheim has provided great value for a mid-first-round pick and the Flyers stick with him in the hypothetical re-draft.
Overall, the Flyers walk away from our re-draft with a goaltender in Jordan Binnington, forward Alex Galchenyuk, and defensemen Darnell Nurse and Travis Sanheim.
Featured image: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
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