When the Flyers traded down and selected German Rubtsov in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft, it wasn’t a slam-dunk, no-brainer choice. Established scorers like Kieffer Bellows and Julien Gauthier were on the board at the team’s original selection spot, and while scouts were generally impressed with Rubtsov’s skillset, he came with risks.
To start, the Russian forward had been caught up in his country’s melondium doping scandal, which resulted in the country’s entire U18 team being banned from the World Championships. While it’s important to note that Rubtsov merely used a substance that Russian officials had provided all players, the scandal prevented teams from getting that final look at the player prior to the draft, and may have sent up additional (probably unfair) character red flags as well.