Hischier or Patrick? Flyers hope to feast on 'leftover'
Either center would fill a big need on offense.
BUFFALO - Based on a recent poll, Flyers fans are hoping dynamic center Nico Hischier is the player the team selects with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft on June 23.
They may get their wish, but general manager Ron Hextall has to bite his tongue on his preference.
Hextall has no control over which player New Jersey will choose at No. 1 - Nolan Patrick, another gifted two-way center, and Hischier are regarded as the draft's crown jewels - so he's keeping his thoughts to himself.
Ray Shero, the Devils' general manager, isn't tipping his hand, either. But Devils insiders believe Patrick is a better fit for New Jersey because of his size (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) and two-way ability. He has been described as an Anze Kopitar in the making, and that is high praise indeed.
If it plays out that way and the Devils grab Patrick, the Flyers will gladly scoop up a player - the 6-1, 176-pound Hischier - whom one scout compared to a young (gulp) Nicklas Backstrom, Washington's smooth-passing center.
Patrick is steady and more physical than Hischier. Hischier is faster and more creative.
Either one would be a home run for the offense-challenged Flyers.
Hextall, speaking from the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo early in the week, sounded as if he was choosing between chocolate mousse and strawberry shortcake.
What's not to like?
"Nolan's a big kid. He's a very well-rounded hockey player. He has good vision, makes a lot of plays, and he's a good scorer," Hextall said. "And he's a very solid two-way player."
He praised Hischier for his speed, vision, and hands. "And he's also a very good two-way player," said Hextall, adding that both centers were defensively sound.
Scouts are divided. Some think Patrick is the safer pick. Some think Hischier has more upside.
NHL Central Scouting rates Patrick No. 1, and Hischier No. 2.
Craig Button, the former Calgary general manager who is now a TSN draft analyst, has Hischier No. 1 and Patrick No. 2.
Both centers are natural scorers and have the potential to be NHL stars, but, from here, Hischier is a better fit for the Flyers because of his speed and creativity. They are a straight-line team and are too predictable - and they need a player with Hischier's inventiveness and hockey sense.
If they do select Hischier, it wouldn't be surprising if he played wing for a year, provided he earned a spot with the Flyers in training camp. He could then move to center the following season, when Valtteri Filppula's contract expires.
It would be a lot easier for the shifty Hischier to move to wing than Patrick.
"Nolan is a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger, and Nico does have high-end speed," Hextall said. "So they're a little bit different players."
Because there doesn't seem much difference in the value of Patrick and Hischier, many in the hockey world are comparing this to the 2010 draft. Back then, there was a huge debate on whether Tyler Seguin or Taylor Hall should go No. 1. Hall went No. 1 to Edmonton, and Seguin fell to Boston at No. 2.
"I've heard that quite a bit," Patrick said of the comparisons to 2010.
Hall is now with New Jersey, so there's a chance he will be one of Patrick's teammates. Hall has been a solid player, scoring 20 or more goals five times.
Seguin, now with Dallas, has been more explosive, averaging 33 goals over his last four seasons.
In other words, No. 2 has been slightly better than No. 1.
The Flyers hope history repeats itself.