Philadelphia Flyers: Hextall may get his wish on draft day
Scoring Winger
The Flyers will also be looking for help in the scoring department. Claude Giroux is not getting any younger, and Jakub Voracek will not be an 80 point producer forever. Those players are currently at their peaks. The time is now to start restocking the system with potential NHL scorers. Two players that have been linked to the Flyers are LW Joel Farabee and RW Vitaly Kravtsov.
In The Athletic’s mock draft, Pronman has Kravtsov going to the Flyers at pick 19. Kravtsov is a player who came on very strong at the end of the season playing for Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League.
In Pronman’s draft rankings, he states the following:
"“He’s got an interesting toolkit. He’s 6-foot-2, skates rather well, shows flashes of dynamic hands and is pretty coordinated for his size. He can push defenders back with speed and gain the offensive zone with control. His edge work/elusiveness is decent, too. While he can make some nice plays and shows good creativity, I think he’s more of a finisher than a playmaker; someone who could drive his offense in the NHL through leading on zone entries and finishing chances from a distance.”"
Kravtsov certainly projects as the kind of player the Flyers are looking to add to the organization. He will need to work on his defensive game a bit, but the offensive upside alone is enough to warrant his selection. He’ll almost certainly play another one-two more seasons in the KHL and then come over to North America. Kravtsov has been linked to the Flyers in multiple mock drafts, so don’t be surprised if Hextall takes the Russian at either 14 or 19.
The second winger that has been linked multiple times to the Flyers is Joel Farabee. The word is that the Flyers really like this kid. It’s not hard to see why when you read Pronman’s breakdown:
"“Farabee wins battles despite being undersized, being a reliable defensive forward, and was one of the best penalty killers for the NTDP, including being a shorthanded threat. His best attribute is his intelligence. Farabee shows great overall instincts as a playmaker and makes consistently good decisions at a quick pace.”"
Remind you of anyone? Your answer should have been “yes, that sounds like Sean Couturier“. It’s no secret that Hextall values two-way play, and a forward with a reputation for being defensibly responsible while also having the ability to contribute to the offense will attract the attention of a lot of teams. He’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-1, 164 pounds, but there will be plenty of time for him to grow into his body and add some muscle to his frame.
Related Story: Assembling the defense after Samuel Morin’s injury
Farabee’s projections have varied, with some mocks having him go in the top 10, while others have him falling outside of the top 20. This player will be one to watch during the draft. Hextall will no doubt be working the phones trying to gauge interest. If he really likes Farabee, more so than a player like Kravtsov, he might pull the trigger and trade up for the left wing.
Conclusion
All in all, Hextall should be able to walk away from this draft having checked off at least one of these areas of need. The possibility that Hextall trades a current Flyers player always exists, as he has shown a willingness to do so in the past. Hextall really will have a myriad of options to choose from this weekend, as the Flyers sit in a unique position with multiple first round picks.
Next: The John Tavares sweepstakes won’t come to Philly
The spotlight is on Hextall to improve this team and add to the organization’s pool of prospects. The Philadelphia Flyers fanbase will no doubt be watching in anticipation.