Philadelphia Flyers: The Many What-Ifs of Nolan Patrick

I think it is safe to say that it wasn’t the best season for Philadelphia Flyers center Nolan Patrick.

After producing back-to-back 30-point campaigns over his first two NHL seasons, Nolan Patrick‘s delayed return due to a migraine disorder did little to help what was an ultimately lost 2020-21 campaign overall. With 4-5-9 totals and a team worst -30 rating (tied for second worst in the NHL), the 22-year-old’s future with the Flyers has expectedly come into question.

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With the Seattle Kraken set to begin play next season, and the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft taking place in just over two weeks, there’s been some expected hype and expectations placed upon the NHL’s newest team. While the Vegas Golden Knights have certainly set the blueprint for the Kraken and any future expansion teams, it’s unlikely they (or any other potential future expansion teams) will be able to achieve what Vegas has over their first four seasons.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see how Seattle General Manager Ron Francis handles their lineup for 2021-22, helped along by being awarded the 2nd overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft Lottery. With a precedent most likely set towards young talent and (like Vegas initially planned) building through the Draft, there’s been speculation that Patrick could be a possible option for the Kraken as a reclamation project of sorts. With his Entry-Level deal set to expire, Patrick’s rights as an RFA could be enticing to a team like Seattle on a lower-value bridge deal.

As hard as it may be to believe, Patrick was at one point, the consensus No. 1 overall pick through most of the lead up to the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. After posting 41-61-102 totals over 72 games for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings in 2015-16, the Winnipeg product was seen as a talented power forward and slick playmaker. However, after Nico Hischier came out of nowhere with the Halifax Mooseheads in 2016-17, Patrick’s stock dropped slightly.

In the end, the New Jersey Devils opted with Hischier First Overall, while the Flyers took Patrick second. Then, Elias Pettersson was taken, and Cale Makar, and Miro Heiskanen, and Nick Suzuki, and Erik Brannstrom, and Josh Norris, and Robert Thomas, and Jake Oettinger, and Drake Batherson, and well, you get my point. Needless to say, Patrick (and to an extent, Hischier) haven’t lived up to their high draft billing, even as the Flyers have slowly become a more competitive team.

Following a rough 2020-21 season, Philadelphia Flyers center Nolan Patrick’s future comes into question.

Whilst this past season wasn’t pretty, with Carter Hart seemingly forgetting how to be a starting goalie with a 9-11-5 record to go along with a dreadful 3.67 Goals Against Average and a .877 Save Percentage, not to mention a hot and cold offense offset by an inconsistent defense, Patrick casually drifted into the background as league focus slowly shifted towards the Playoffs as the season wore on.

Even with that, Patrick still finished with less points than defenseman Erik Gustafsson, who was a frequent healthy scratch (1-9-10 totals over 24 games) before being shipped to Montreal, and waiver-wire casualty Shayne Gostisbehere.

With that in mind, Patrick’s company from that 2017 draft class brings up so many questions it might as well be a game of Guess Who. While Patrick was the expected First or Second overall pick, history has shown that sometimes drafting the best ranked player isn’t always the best strategy, and in this case, Philadelphia got completely and utterly burned. Makar and Pettersson have become some of the most exciting players in the NHL, and key parts of their respective teams (the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks) futures.

On the flipside, Patrick has quickly fallen out of favor with the Flyers front office, even with his continued injury troubles that sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season. While this is something to be expected giving his recent production, I still feel as though there’s a chance the center can turn things around, whether that be in his expected high scoring role or a more defensive one.

While his -30 rating is quite a difficult sight, to say the least, it’s to be expected (somewhat) considering Patrick had missed a full season. At his core, the 6-foot-2, 203-pound pivot brings a lot of qualities to the table with solid speed, a quick release, and a soft touch around the net.

As a net-front presence and hard checking forward, Patrick can be a talented player, and, in my opinion, that’s where he’s best suited, at least until he can sort out his offensive troubles, if he ever does. Should he be traded to or taken by the Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft, I have reason to believe they’d give him ample opportunities to sort out said troubles and put-up numbers expected of a Second overall pick.

Until then, Flyers fans will merely have to ponder the numerous what-ifs that have come since that fabled 2017 Draft. As this 2020-21 season rages on with the Stanley Cup Finals underway, it seems as though the Philadelphia Flyers are still a ways away from a title, and as the team looks to sort out their struggles and build for the future, it remains to be seen whether Nolan Patrick will factor into those plans.