Flyers GM comments on the rumors regarding their first round draft pick.

Flyers GM shares his honest thoughts on a potential trade.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Flyers GM comments on the rumors regarding their first round draft pick.
Jose F. moreno / AP

The Philadelphia Flyers look like a team that intends to be extremely busy during the upcoming offseason. General manager Chuck Fletcher has already shown his willingness to make deals with a gamble that he took on veteran forward Kevin Hayes, a pending unrestricted free agent, in an effort to bolster his roster. 

Fletcher was thrust into something of a chaotic situation after the Flyers suddenly parted ways with general manager Ron Hextall in the middle of an National Hockey League regular season, and you kind of get the sense that Fletcher was biding his time since taking over the position. After taking the time necessary to wade through the chaos and to evaluate the Flyers roster and the depth within the ranks of the organization, it would appear that now is Fletcher's time to shape the roster to his vision. The move for Hayes is by no means a guaranteed edition to the Flyers roster, however the aggressive move is exactly the kind of thing you want to see if you're the fan of any NHL team.

That will hardly be the only move that Fletcher makes this summer if he gets his way however. There have been plenty of rumblings in the past several weeks regarding the possibility of the Flyers trading their first round draft pick in this years draft, a pick that currently sits at the #11 spot in the draft. Fletcher was asked about the rumors directly on Monday during a media availability, and surprisingly the Flyers general manager was extremely candid with reporters regarding the possibility of a big trade at the draft.

"It's early," said Fletcher as per the Flyers official website, "I've mentioned to teams that we're in play but there hasn't been a big push for the pick yet. If we keep it & stay at 11, we're going to get a good player...It's certainly a good chip that if moved, it could help."

Fletcher is correct in his assessment that things are still at an early stage in spite of the fact that the draft is drawing near. Teams still have to sort out their own situations before they go looking for big moves, but with everyone now fully aware that the Flyers pick is in fact in play you can bet there will be calls made to Fletcher's office leading up to the draft. 

If I had to guess, the Flyers will look to bolster their offense through trades or free agency while looking to upgrade their blue line internally during this offseason.


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