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With the second pick in the draft this year, the Flyers will take either Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier. Whichever is left after the Devils pick at number one. The situation feels very familiar to Jared Goff and Carson Wentz– both guys play the same position (center), one is generally more highly regarded coming into the draft (Patrick), but the other might have the better pro potential (Nico).

Patrick, who plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings, is bigger and more well-rounded. Scouts compare him to Jonathan Toews. He’s considered a near-lock to be a number one center in the pros. He can skate, shoot and pass. All three zones, puck battles, yada yada yada. He also has a sneaky-good wrister. Some highlights:

Intangible? He does that quirky, nonchalant remove mouthguard thing after he scores, which would positively drive me nuts if he winds up on the Devils and Patrick Elias-es us for a decade.

The knock on Patrick is that he missed a good chunk of the season due to injuries. He had a sports hernia last summer and the always-scary “undisclosed” injury that sidelined him most of the season. Also, in his limited playing time this season, his production actually decreased ever so slightly, from 1.42 to 1.39 points per game.

Patrick is still considered by most to be the top prospect and the Devils’ likely pick at number one, but lately it’s been Nico who’s been SURGING.

Nico is smaller, around 6’0 and only around 174 lbs. He plays for the Halifax Mooseheads and Swiss national teams. He is the consensus number two prospect but is giving Patrick a run for his money after an 86-point performance in 57 games last season, which has me rock fucking solid.

A flat-out scorer coming from the larger international rinks, Nico could use some improvement in the defensive end, particularly in the corners. But what he lacks on defense he makes up for on offense. He’s an elite skater and “an incredible stickhandler.” He’s more quick than fast– small and shifty. Scouts say he plays on the edges of his skates and laud his next-level agility. “Plays fast,” which mmm, yes, give me that! Put it this way: If Patrick is the guy the Flyers always get (big, two-way center), Nico is the guy we always wish they’d get (smaller, quicker, pure scorer).

Here are highlights set to house music:

https://youtu.be/H4t_egHVoNg

SOLD! I’m sold on Nico. Few reasons:

  1. T-shirt possibilities. The Nicoooooooooooo Power Play.
  2. I need the Flyers to have somebody like this. Maybe Giroux came close for a little while, but we never have the stone-cold scorer. Just for my own sanity, please, give me a guy who can skate and score.
  3. The Devils will probably draft Patrick, so I like to set myself up for success.

The Flyers can go wrong with neither player, but at the moment it looks like it’ll be Nico. God, just thinking about his skillset on the power play with Shayne Gostisbehere has me all sorts of flustered.

 

 

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