PHN Mock NHL Entry Draft: Philadelphia Flyers

PHILADELPHIA, Pa – With the Stanley Cup playoffs officially over, the Philadelphia Flyers get to look forward and evaluate what the team needs to improve upon. The 07-08 was a season that came as a huge surprise to everyone who watched the previous season from hell, one in which turned out to be the worst in the franchise history.
 
The upcoming NHL Entry draft in Ottawa might not help fill an immediate need for the Flyers, but with some creative and savvy work by General Manger Paul Holmgren, a major trade on draft day just might be able to accomplish what the Flyers want to do, which is improve the blueline.
 
The Flyers have two major issues that will effect what the team can and

can’t do. One is Simon Gagne, the other with Derian Hatcher. Both players have two years left to go on their contracts but injuries might cause one or both players to either retire, be put on long term IR, be traded, waived, or be bought out. Gagne’s cap hit is $5.25 million and Hatcher’s is $3.5 million.
 
Because both make so much money the team might not be able to move either player. A trade with some other talent on the roster might need to be made to get a defenseman in next season who will have an impact on the team. In a draft that is deep in defensive prospects, maybe more so than any other draft in history, the Flyers should be able to address the blueline issue.
 
The main question for the Flyers is, do they move up to get a player that is NHL ready, or do they stand pat at # 27 and show patience that the player they take won’t take too long to develop. Anyone who has ever watched the Flyers over the years knows this organization doesn’t have a patient bone in their collective bodies, so look for the Flyers to attempt to make a splash come draft day by trading for one of the top prospects in the draft or for a veteran defenseman.
 
Defense however isn’t the only issue the Flyers need to address with the draft. Here is a look at the Flyers and their needs in order of importance.
 
Team needs (Defense, goaltender, center, and left wing): Last season, left wing was the team worst position, not only on the big clubs roster but in overall depth in the organization. The free agent signing of Scott Hartnell and the drafting of James Van Riemsdyk and Patrick Maroon had a major impact in turning around left wing, but Gagne’s status might give left wing a huge hit.
Needless to say it’s not easy to replace someone who scored 40 goals last season and 7 goals in 25 games and had chemistry with Daniel Briere. Scott Upshall can play both wings and might be pressed to play left should Gagne be moved on.
 
Right wing is easily the strength of the organization, but this position will be in flux depending on how the Flyers not only address the current roster, but try to improve upon the blueline. An argument can be made that anywhere from 4-6 right wing prospects in the Flyers system can make the NHL and have an impact on the team.
 
Claude Giroux, who was the QMJHL playoff MVP, helped lead Gatineau to the league championship. Giroux is a pure goal scorer who has put up tremendous numbers the past two seasons. The Flyers will have to make a decision if he is NHL ready or needs a year in the AHL. If the Flyers move Mike Knuble for defensive help, you can pretty much pencil Giroux into the lineup come October.
 
Still, the team’s top prospects are all right wingers: Steve Downie, Andreas Nodl, Stefan Ruzicka, Mario Kemp (QMJHL), and Jonathan Rheault (NCAA – Providence). At least one of those players might be used as part of a package in a trade, or they could be moved to center with the loss of Ryan Potulny to Edmonton, which leads us to the center position.
 
The Flyers parent club has the center positon is all but sown up for the next 6-10 years with the signings of Briere and Mike Richards, as well as the potential signing of Jeff Carter who is slowly becoming a clone of Mats Sundin. If the Flyers decide to move Carter for defensive help it will mean the center position will take another hit, but we still see Carter being resigned by the Flyers, so for now let’s consider he will stay in town for now.  Still, the Flyers are thin in depth at center so addressing the center position at the draft might not be a high priority but one they might have to address right way with some of their lower round draft picks.
This is the second straight season where goaltenders won’t be drafted in the top half of the first round, which could be good in the Flyers case should they decide to go that route should they feel they like their defensive prospects already in the system. Only Scott Munroe looks to be NHL ready, but they do have some intriguing prospects in Jakub Kovar (OHL – Windsor) and Brad Phillips (NCAA – Notre Dame). Still, the Flyers might get lucky and have at least one of the top two goaltending prospects fall to them. If so, don’t be surprised if they draft one of them.
Martin Biron is the man in the net for the Flyers, at least for next season. The Flyers have to decide how they want to approach him in a contract year. Biron will turn 31 in October so having him sign for 2-3 more years until someone is ready to take his place would not be a bad way to go.  Antero Niittymaki is a solid backup but on some teams he could be the starter, which is why some teams might come knocking for his services come draft day.

The pick: If the Flyers stay at 27, or move up in the draft you can bet it will be for a defenseman. John Carlson (USHL) is someone they will have their eye on and will take if he is available. In our mock draft however, the Rangers take him at 20 (figures), so the Flyers will turn their attention to Jyri Niemi (WHL), or a couple of high school players in Jake Gardiner and Aaron Ness.
Niemi has a booming shot that hits near 100 MPH, and is a classic offensive defenseman, who is a converted forward. According to Central Scouting’s E.J. McGuire, he projects to be a solid 3 or 4 defenseman in the NHL. Still, Ness is extremely quick and has McGuire reminding him of a Brian Leetch. That might make him too tempting to pass up. Gardiner is considered of one of fastest skaters in the draft. That automatically makes him a prime target to be picked by the Flyers.
 
Current GM Paul Holmgren has a tough decision to make between all three players, but as we see it, Niemi is closer to being NHL ready then both high school prospects, and that will definitely factor in the Flyers decision so expect to hear these words from Holmgren come draft day.
 
“With the 27^th pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers Saskatoon of he Western Hockey league, defenseman, Jyri Niemi.”
 
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com  
Photos courtesy of the NHL