The last decade has been a rollercoaster for the Philadelphia Flyers, who are riding their lowest valley.
Building through the draft was the mantra to get the team back into contention for the Stanley Cup. A decade later however, the Flyers aren’t contending.
Some of their draft picks hit, or might’ve helped another franchise after departing Philadelphia. Then, there were players where high capital spent wasn’t rewarded. Since the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, these are the three worst draft selections from the Flyers:
Samuel Morin
Drafted eleventh overall at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, the selection raised a few eyebrows at the time. Morin was first expected to be a mid-first-round, late first-round selection. The Flyers saw upside in Morin, drafting him where they did.
Standing at 6’6″, Morin wasn’t the smoothest skater and he didn’t have the greatest puck control, but he was a physical, aggressive defensive defenseman. Philadelphia felt confident that Morin would strengthen their blue line for the future, but he saw very little time in the NHL before having to retire due to multiple knee injuries.
Morin spent the majority of his professional career with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, playing in 177 games. With the Flyers, he only played in 29 games and scored one point which was a goal. Morin underwent multiple knee surgeries during his professional career, which included two right ACL repairs in 19 months.
Recently, Morin was a coach at Philadelphia’s 2022 Development Camp.
Nolan Patrick
Number two overall at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Patrick was projected to go first leading up to draft day. Instead, Nico Hischier heard his name first.
The Flyers were lucky to end up with the second overall selection in 2017, moving from thirteenth to second courtesy of the lottery.
Patrick had the potential to become a high-end center in the NHL. He dominated at the junior level and it seemed obvious he would transition comfortably into the NHL. That’s not what happened.
He made the Flyers’ opening night roster out of training camp and played in 73 games during the 2017-2018 season, scoring 30 points (13G, 17A). Not bad for a rookie season, and everyone expected Patrick to grow.
During the 2018-2019 season, Patrick played in 72 games, only scoring one more (31) point than his 2017-2018 campaign. Upper-body injuries sidelined Patrick during parts of his first two seasons, and they would prove detrimental moving forward.
Patrick missed the entire 2019-2020 season due to a migraine disorder. He managed to play 52 of the 56 games during 2020-2021, but only managed nine points (4G, 5A.) His progress was derailed in Philadelphia.
In the summer of 2021, Patrick and Philippe Myers were traded to the Nashville Predators for Ryan Ellis. Patrick was then moved to the Vegas Golden Knights. He played in 25 games with the Golden Knights last season, but more injuries kept him out. Patrick is expected to receive long-term injured reserve status heading into 2022-2023.
German Rubstov
German Rubstov was selected 22nd overall at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. One of Russia’s most skillful U18 two-way forwards at the time, Rubstov drew some top-ten selection hype. He slipped in the first round due to a doping scandal involving the Russia U18 team. The Flyers were thrilled he ended up in their laps.
Playing in the KHL with Vityaz Podolsk during the 2016-2017 season, Rubstov scored 0 points in 15 games. He went scoreless with Russia during the World Junior Championships but did start to find his footing with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the QMJHL and Russkie Vityazi Chekhov in the MHL.
Rubstov made his AHL debut with the Phantoms during 2018-2019 and scored 10 points (6G, 4A) in 14 games. He played in four games with the Flyers during 2019-2020 but didn’t manage to score any points.
His four-game stint with the Flyers was subpar, seeing most of his time on the fourth line and receiving few playing minutes.
After being sent back down to the Phantoms, Rubstov badly struggled. He played in 42 games and scored 13 points (2G, 11A). He was sent out on loan to HK Sochi to rediscover his game, but nothing was resurrected. He then rejoined Lehigh Valley, but his play never recovered.
Eventually, Rubtsov was a part of the Claude Giroux trade to the Florida Panthers in March. For the 2022-2023 season, Rubstov will be back in the KHL, this time with Spartak Moskva.
(Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)
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