Patrick or Hischier? Hischier or Patrick?

The Flyers' first pick will be …
… one of these two guys.

New Jersey has the No. 1 pick in Friday night's draft (7 p.m., NBCSN). The Flyers almost surely will take whichever one of these players the Devils do not.

Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6-2, 198.
Age: 18. Born: Sept. 19, 1998 in Winnipeg.
Shoots: Right.
Last season: Played for Brandon of the WHL … Played just 33 of 72 games because of injury … Scored 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists).
Scouting report: Strong, good puck skills, considered to be ready to play in the NHL right away.
Biggest question: Injuries. Had surgery last summer to repair a sports hernia on his left side and opted to treat the one on his right side with therapy. Participated fully in the NHL Scouting Combine four weeks ago.
Comparison: Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal, who captained Carolina to the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Notable: Ranked No. 1 among North American skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting … Played all 72 games in 2015-16 and scored 102 points (41 goals, 61 assists) in the regular season and other 30 points in the postseason to lead Brandon to the WHL title … Brandon was coached by Kelly McCrimmon, younger brother of late Flyers defenseman Brad McCrimmon … Missed being included in the 2016 NHL Draft, which was open to players born before Sept. 16, 1997, by four days … His uncle, James Patrick, played in the NHL for 21 years (1983-2004), including 11 with the Rangers.
Quotable: "Obviously, he has to show that injuries are not going to be a recurring issue for him," said Ryan Wagman, scouting director for the publication McKeen's Hockey. "Beyond that, he doesn't have any weaknesses per se. It's just showing he can do it at another level. Even though he missed a lot of this year because of injuries, his production was still very, very good."

Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6-0, 176.
Age: 18. Born: Jan. 4, 1999 in Naters, Switzerland.
Shoots: Left.
Last season: Had 86 points in 57 games for Halifax to earn QMJHL rookie of the year and the Mike Bossy Award for being the league's top prospect.
Scouting report: The prevailing word for Hischier seems to be "dynamic." Good skater, good shot, solid defensively. Likely ready to play in the NHL next season.
Biggest question: Size. Needs to gain some weight, which he pledged to do over the summer.
Comparison: Washington center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was fourth in the NHL in assists two seasons ago.
Notable: Ranked No. 2 among North American skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting … Halifax general manager Cam Russell told NHL.com that Hischier was his team's best defensive player … Last season was Hischier's first in North America … Has been representing Switzerland in international competitions since 2015 … Had seven points in five games at the World Junior Championships over the New Year, including a pair of goals in a near upset of eventual winner USA.
Quotable: Wagman said Hischier may project better as a winger. "He's never been really good at faceoffs and part of that has to do with strength," Wagman said. "I think he could eventually be more valuable letting someone do (faceoffs) and he can focus on retrieving the puck and doing something with it."