The Flyers didn’t wait long to make a move.
They struck a deal with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night at the NHL Draft, while the Penguins were on the clock, to move up to No. 12 on the board in exchange for picks 22 and 31.
With that, the Flyers took Windsor center Jack Nesbitt, a much-needed selection down the middle, and their second straight pick of notable size after taking Brampton power forward Porter Martone six picks earlier.
So far, this draft has a clear trend for Philadelphia. They’re trying to get bigger.
Nesbitt is listed at 6’4″ and 186 pounds, with the expectation that the 18-year-old will more than likely grow into that frame over the next several years.
Martone is listed at 6’3″ and 204 pounds, and has already been barreling his way through to the net in juniors.
If all goes according to plan, those will be two players who will be hard to get the puck from in due time.
Nesbitt was a 25-goal scorer in the OHL this past season, and has already shown he’s willing to dig after the puck and box checkers out to earn his keep in the corners and in front of the net.
He’ll have to get stronger to translate that style of game into the NHL, though.
The Flyers took a jump up, trading with their biggest rival in the process, on the belief that he will.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
