Flyers targeting defense with first-round pick

The 2013 NHL draft, regarded as one of the best in recent history, is loaded with gifted defensemen with size and speed.

In other words, it is tailored to the needs of the Flyers, who could use an influx of young, athletic defenders.

When the draft is held next Sunday in Newark, N.J., the Flyers seem to be leaning toward choosing one of those defensemen in the first round with the 11th overall pick.

By then, defenseman Seth Jones, who could be expected to be the first overall pick, will be long gone, and it is doubtful defenseman Darnell Nurse - nephew of Donovan McNabb and the son of a former Canadian Football League player - will be available.

The Flyers are leaning against moving up in the draft, according to a source in the organization. They believe there will be several other high-quality players who will be on the board at No. 11.

That list could include such defensemen as Rasmus Ristolainen (6-foot-2, 189 pounds), Ryan Pulock (6-1, 211) and Nikita Zadorov (6-5, 228). Big centers such as Frederik Gauthier (6-4, 219), and Sean Monahan (6-2, 193) also figure to be on the Flyers' radar.

"We're excited about the group that we're looking at," said Chris Pryor, who is in his sixth year as the Flyers' director of hockey operations.

Pryor said if the mock drafts are accurate, as many as half the first-round draft picks could be defensemen.

Overall, this is viewed as the top draft class since 2003, which is generally rated as the best in history. That draft included Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Shea Weber, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Thomas Vanek, Marc-Andre Fleury, Zach Parise, and Dustin Brown. Oh, and Ryan Suter, Eric Staal, Nathan Horton, Ryan Kesler, Patrice Bergeron, Milan Michalek, Dion Phaneuf, Brent Seabrook, Brent Burns, Loui Eriksson, and Braydon Coburn.

The Flyers expect to land a blue-chip player at No. 11.

"It's a strong group," Pryor said. "Since I've been scouting, it's the best group I've seen."

Pryor and general manager Paul Holmgren say they will pick the best player available, regardless of position.

But if a forward and defenseman are equal, look for the Flyers to choose the latter.

With such a large pool of quality blue liners, "it's fair to say, just by percentages, you could be drafting a defenseman [in the first round]," Pryor said. ". . . We realize, from an organizational standpoint, we might need a defenseman. But you just don't know what's going to fall to you."

When it comes to drafting defensemen and having them make an impact in the organization, the Flyers have flopped.

Last season, the Flyers' regular defensive corps did not include a homegrown defenseman, though Oliver Lauridsen, a seventh-round selection in 2009, did show promise after a late-season call-up.

The Flyers haven't drafted a defenseman who became an all-star for them since Behn Wilson in 1981.

You have to go back more than four decades for the best defenseman the Flyers ever drafted, Jimmy Watson, a five-time all-star who was chosen in the third round in 1972.

Pryor said because defensemen take longer to develop, it is more difficult to project their success than it is for forwards. That's why most teams take the best player "and minimize the risks as much as you can," he said.

This is the most exciting time of the season for Pryor and his scouting staff. In the last year, Pryor estimates he has traveled 100,000 miles - from Russia to western Canada, with countless stops in between - to sniff out prospects.

"From the amateur side, this is what you work for all year," he said.

Unlike in previous years, next Sunday's seven rounds will be in one day instead of two. The draft is condensed because the lockout delayed the season's start, playing havoc with the schedule.

The Flyers have a pick in every round but the fourth, having dealt that selection to Los Angeles for Simon Gagne.

The draft is the cheapest and most effective way to build a winner. For proof, look at this year's Stanley Cup finalists, the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins.

Chicago, which finished with the league's best regular-season record (36-7-5), has 12 players it drafted in its lineup, while the Bruins have seven draft selections.

By comparison, the Flyers this year had just four of their draft picks (Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Zac Rinaldo, and Gagne, who was reacquired from the Kings) who played regularly.

In recent years, Holmgren has traded away some of the Flyers' draftees - and draft picks - in an attempt to improve the team. The Flyers dealt their first- and second-round picks in 2009 and 2010 - both No. 1s were sent to Anaheim in the Chris Pronger trade - and it left the organization thin on top-notch prospects.

"We're in the business to win, and Paul's done a great job of making moves in order to win," Pryor said. "Sometimes, in order to do that, you have to give up picks to make a run at it. But the last couple years, he's tried to hang onto his picks."

Last year, the Flyers' draft was highlighted by their Nos. 1, 2, and 3 picks: center Scott Laughton, goalie Anthony Stolarz, and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, respectively. All have progressed nicely and are expected to play roles with the Flyers down the road, with Laughton possibly landing a spot with the big club in 2013-14.

Another strong draft is needed to close the gap between the Flyers and the elite teams.

Generally, the Flyers have drafted strongly in the first rounds in the last decade, but poorly in later rounds.

Conversely, the Bruins and Blackhawks both have some dynamic first-rounders, but they also have uncovered some gems after the opening round. Boston stars Bergeron (second round, 45th overall in 2003), David Krejci (second round, 63d overall in 2004), Milan Lucic (second round, 50th overall in 2006), and Brad Marchand (third round, 71st overall in 2006) were selected after Round 1.

Chicago has also excelled after the first round, selecting such key players as Duncan Keith (second round, 54th overall in 2002), Corey Crawford (second round, 52d overall in 2003), Bryan Bickell (second round, 41st overall in 2004), Niklas Hjalmarsson (fourth round, 108th overall in 2005), Brandon Saad (second round, 43d overall in 2011), and Andrew Shaw (fifth round, 139th overall in 2011). All told, the Blackhawks have nine non-first-rounders on their roster.

Since 2000, the Flyers have had just two of their non-first-round picks make a major impact - and both are doing it with other teams: winger Patrick Sharp (third round, 2001) with Chicago and defenseman Dennis Seidenberg (sixth round, 2001) with Boston. They are facing each other in the Stanley Cup Finals.