Flyers Draft 2016: Some Names That Will Be Available At #18 And Other News
So we’re 3 days out from the 2016 NHL Draft and so far everything has been pretty quiet on the Flyers’ end. If we’re being perfectly honest with each other, the Flyers fucked up last season by being a bunch of overachievers. There was a time last season when I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about Auston Matthews. There was a time last season that it seemed the Flyers were destined for at least a top 10 pick. But instead, they decided to go out there and earn themselves a spot in the playoffs. Which, at the time, seemed like a pretty fun idea. Turns out they were a bunch of bozos considering they’ll be picking 18th in the draft this Friday which leaves them in a bit of a no-man’s land in terms of moving up or down.
As much as I hate mock drafts and trying to predict what is going to happen come draft night, this year’s draft class has a legitimate top 3 in Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi. All 3 players are franchise altering talents who will make immediate impact next season. After the big 3, you have Matthew Tkachuk, Alex Nylander, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Olli Juolevi. 3 wingers and a defenseman who are all NHL ready and all will have successful careers in this league. To round out the top 10, you’re looking at strong centers like Clayton Keller, Logan Brown and Tyson Jost. You have a safe crop of defensemen with Mikhail Sergachev, Jake Bean (I think Bean could end up being the most impactful defenseman from this class), Jakob Chychrun and Charlie McAvoy. If you’re picking anywhere between 8-15 this year, you’re getting someone who is going to be a cornerstone to your franchise for years to come. I’ve got to imagine that all of those names will be off the board once the Flyers are up at #18 and I can’t see Hexy making any trades between now and then to move up in this draft. So let’s take a look at some of the names that could still be available once he gets up to the podium.
Kieffer Bellows | USNTDP | LW | 50G, 81Pts, 62GP
First off, that name alone is enough for me to love Kieffer Bellows, the son of Brian Bellows. I put a lot of stock into intangibles when it comes to these sort of things and a name like Kieffer Bellows is the exact type of intangible you look for in a top prospect. But the name isn’t the only thing I love about this kid. There have been 4 players in the NTDP history to score 50 goals in one season. Those players are Auston Matthews (kinda good), Patrick Kane (kinda good), Phil Kessel (kinda good) and Kieffer Bellows. Not exactly terrible company to be in. When you look at the Flyers’ roster, there aren’t a ton of pure goal scorers on there. Giroux is more of a set up man, Simmonds gets his goals but typically greases it up before putting the puck in the back of the net, Voracek hit a major slump last year and guys like Schenn and Couturier are still finding their way. Bellows is a shooter and the Flyers need somebody like that. If the puck is on his stick, it’s not going to stay there for long because he’s just going to throw it on net every chance he can. With his size and pedigree, Kieffer Bellows could be on the Flyers roster right around the same time Matt Read is finally on his way out.
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Luke Kunin | Wisconsin | RW | 19G, 32Pts, 34GP
I’m going to quickly name a few Wisconsin Badgers alumni who have had tremendous success in the National Hockey League–Dany Heatley, Dany Fuckin’ All Star, Mr. 50 in 07. Now let’s watch the kid in action and see if he has any All Star tendencies of his own.
The only thing that worries me about Luke Kunin is the kid is from Missouri. Which means that he’s grown up a Blues fan which means that he has grown up idolizing losers his entire life. And to be perfectly clear, this is the same reason why I wouldn’t want to draft a Flyers fan either. But as you can see, Luke Kunin is just as good at scoring goals as he is setting them up. We’re seeing more and more college hockey players make the transition to the NHL so the fact that he doesn’t play juniors or anything shouldn’t scare anybody. Also, Kunin has diabetes. Want to know who else had diabetes? Bobby Clarke. The only Flyers captain to win a Stanley Cup. So yeah, count me in on Luke Kunin.
Max Jones | London Knights | LW | 28G, 52Pts, 63GP
It’s Max Jones. Who?!? Max Jones. Who?!? Max Jones. Who?!?
For much of the year, Sarnia’s Jakob Chychrun was considered the top defensive prospect in this draft class. Now let’s go ahead and watch Max Jones walk him like a dog again.
Dab on ‘em
The 2015-16 London Knights may be one of the best junior teams we ever see. Now Max Jones may not have been on the same level as Christian Dvorak, Mitch Marner and Matthew Tkachuk who all had over 100 points last saeson. But he notched 52 for himself as one of the younger guys on the team. The kid has size, he has strength, and obviously he has a great set of hands on him. He’ll definitely be a top 6 forward at some point in his career. And he’s already got a mean streak in him which would make him a perfect fit for Philly. Can you imagine the mass hysteria the hockey world will be in if he makes a hit like this while wearing Orange?
Julien Gauthier | Val d’Or | RW | 41g, 57Pts, 54GP
6’4″, 230 lbs, and just loves the score goals. That’s pretty much all you need to know about Julien Gauthier. There was a time last season when Gauthier was projected to go top 10 in this draft. He’s slipped a bit in the rankings which could be perfect for the Flyers. Hell, there was even a point when some scouts were saying he could be a top 5 guy. And if you watch a few of his highlights, you can see why.
Goal scoring is down in the NHL. Some people think that bigger nets are the solution. Some people think that smaller goalie pads are the solution. But whatever team ends up grabbing Julien Gauthier on Friday night has the only solution they need. The kid is massive and his shot is even bigger. Honestly, I don’t see Gauthier dropping back low enough to go at 18 but there’s still a chance. I think out of the 4 players mentioned here, Max Jones and Luke Kunin will be the 2 to chose from and Guathier/Bellows will be off the board. But Ron Hextall’s life could definitely be harder right now.
– Now outside of the draft, I’d keep your eyes on Cam Fowler in Anaheim and Kevin Shattenkirk in St. Louis. Right now all of the talk on Shattenkirk is between Edmonton and Boston. But it’s always the quiet guy who you have to watch out for the most and that’s Ron Hextall right now. It wouldn’t completely shock me if Hextall made a final push for either of those two at the draft to swap picks with either the Ducks or Blues. I think Fowler is more realistic but just something to keep an eye out for.
– There were some rumblings today about a trade that would send Ben Bishop to Calgary. This is just a good reminder to never believe any rumors you hear until they start coming from guys like Bob McKenzie, Pierre LeBrun and Elliotte Friedman. So far it doesn’t look like any of those reports on Bishop are true, but it wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Lightning right now who need to free up some cap space.
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– Part of the reason the Lightning need to free up space is because Darren Dreger is reporting that the Sabres are ready to offer $12 million a year to Stamkos on July 1. He said that’s just a speculative number right now but that Buffalo is 100% in on Stamkos and that’s the type of money it may take.
– Vinny Lecavalier announced his retirement today after 17 seasons in the NHL. Wish those seasons in Philly would have actually worked out but you win some, you lose some. Vinny is the man and even though it sucks he’s leaving, it’s probably for the best.