CHICAGO – When the Flyers moved from No. 13 to No. 2 in the draft lottery, club president Paul Holmgren called it an “unexpected gift.”
On Friday night, the Flyers opened their “present,” and out popped Nolan Patrick, a sturdy 6-foot-2, 199-pound center whom some scouts thought was the best player in the draft.
After New Jersey took dynamic center Nico Hischier with the top pick at the United Center, the Flyers selected Patrick, a prolific scorer and passer who said he is fully recovered from the two sports hernias that limited him to 33 games last season.