The 2013 NHL Draft is still over a month away. However, with the Flyers season having ended one month ago tomorrow, the debate has already started about what direction the Flyers should go with the 11th overall pick of the Draft.
The Flyers have always had a "best player available regardless of position" philosophy when it comes to the first round of the Draft. That is not going to change. Anthony SanFilippo recently wrote an
extensive article on the Flyers' official Web site and I wrote a blog
last year in June detailing the reasons behind this drafting method and making clear that the organization will not change it specifically to target defensemen.
I am very much in favor of BPA drafting. However, I'll also say there is plenty of reason to criticize the Flyers' drafting and development track record when it comes to defensemen. Virtually all of the best defensemen in franchise history have had to be acquired via trade or free agency.
If one were to come with a top 20 all-time list of homegrown Flyers defensemen in terms of what they accomplished during their Philadelphia careers -- NOT what they may have done for other teams after leaving the organization -- it would look something like the following list.
Note: I am excluding all current players in the organization as well as the late Miroslav "Cookie" Dvorak. While Dvorak enjoyed three productive NHL seasons after being drafted by the Flyers, he was already over 30 years of age and an established international hockey star when the Flyers drafted him in the third round and signed him to a contract in 1982 with permission of the Czechoslovakian government and ice hockey federation.
Here is my top 20 list. The pickings got slim pretty quickly.
1.
Jimmy Watson: Five-time NHL All-Star, part of two Cup teams, injuries ended career at age 30.
2.
Tom Bladon: Skilled offensive defenseman, part of two Cup teams and a two-time NHL All-Star Game selection(1976-77 and 1977-78). Sometimes the target of the Spectrum boobirds for perceived defensive liabilities and lack of physical play, Bladon was plus-32 or better in four straight years, including a 14-goal, plus-45 season in 1975-76. Had an eight point game (four goals, four assists) against the lowly Cleveland Barons on Dec. 11, 1977.
3.
Behn Wilson: NHL All-Rookie team and placed 4th in Calder ballot in 1978-79, NHL All-Star 1980-81, loved to rush the puck and a feared fighter and hitter but drew frequent criticism after his rookie year for wild inconsistent in his performance level.
4.
Chris Therien: NHL All-Rookie team in 1994-95, played 753 regular season games with the Flyers (tops all time among defensemen), plus-125 for his Flyers career.
5.
Dmitri Yushkevich: Two stints in Philly, strong rookie season and solid contributor in both of his stints. A big hitter with a heavy point shot. Yushkevich was a fan favorite in Philadelphia and, after a tough early start under Pat Burns, was also a well-liked player in Toronto.
6.
Joni Pitkänen: NHL All-Rookie team in 2003-04, 2005-06 Barry Ashbee Trophy(13 goals, 46 points in 56 games; missed six weeks with a sports hernia). Struggled thereafter and was traded to Edmonton after the 2006-07 season.
7.
Janne Niinimaa: NHL All-Rookie team in 1996-97, traded at the deadline the next year. The Paul Coffey protege never did develop the hoped-for consistency in his game at the NHL level but did have one All-Star season in Edmonton.
8.
Thomas Eriksson: Back-to-back double-digit goal seasons, skilled puck mover who was a plus-28 in 1983-84 and plus-24 in 1984-85. Injuries and homesickness curtailed his NHL career. He was a good player in the NHL but was much better in Elitserien and internationally than he ever was as a Flyer.
9.
Glen Cochrane: Fearsome fighter who was a plus-42 in 1982-83 when paired with newly acquired Mark Howe. He could get out control at times in terms of picking his spots but teammates always knew he had their back. Cochrane took it as a personal insult when Howe or other skilled teammates got run when he was on the ice. Also got steamed if he got beaten to pucks around the net. Once accidentally broke teammate Ilkka Sinisalo's collarbone at practice by shoving the forward into the boards in frustration after the Finn beat him to score a goal.
10.
Gord Murphy: Steady and reliable if unspectacular two-way defenseman. Traded to Boston for Garry Galley.
11.
Larry Goodenough: A rookie member of the Flyers' second Stanley Cup team. Showed considerable early-career promise, including 42 points in his first full NHL season (1975-76) but never built upon it. He was subsequently traded to Vancouver along with tough guy defenseman Jack McIlhargey in exchange for Bob "the Count' Dailey. The deal ended up being lopsided in the Flyers' favor until a 28-year-old Dailey suffered a career-ending ankle and leg injury on Nov. 1, 1982.
12.
Kevin McCarthy: Strong rookie season in 1977-78, struggled a bit in 2nd NHL season and was traded to Vancouver for fallen sniper Dennis Ververgaert. It wasn't one of Keith Allen's better trades. As he hit his prime, McCarthy became a very productive two-way defenseman in Vancouver. He had become a bit player by the time he had a brief second stint as Flyer.
13.
Norm Barnes: Spent a long time bouncing around the minor leagues after the Flyers drafted him in the 8th round of the 1973 Draft. Finally cracked the NHL roster in 1979-80 as a 26-year-old rookie. Surprisingly became a key part of the Flyers defense that year on a team that went undefeated in 35 straight games and reached the Stanley Cup Final. Won the Barry Ashbee Trophy over Bob Dailey and Behn Wilson and played in the NHL All-Star Game but struggled down the stretch. Barnes continued to struggle the next season and was dealt to Hartford in late November for a 2nd-round draft pick.
14.
Dennis Seidenberg: Has gone on to have a very solid NHL career, especially in Boston, but only dressed in 92 NHL games for the Flyers. Injuries were a key reason. He was rushed a bit by the Flyers organization, who wanted him to be an aggressive puck-moving defenseman. Suffered a broken leg in January 2003. When he returned, he fell out of favor with Ken Hitchcock, was briefly converted to a winger (he started out as a forward in German junior hockey before switching to defense) and then sent to the AHL. He dressed in just five NHL games in 2003-04, and was a key part of the Phantoms' Calder Cup winning team in 2004-05. Played well when healthy in the first half of the 2005-06 season but was set back by a concussion and a broken wrist. Midway through the season, with Peter Forsberg out of the Flyers lineup and the team in a tailspin, Bob Clarke dealt Seidenberg to Phoenix in the trade that sent Petr Nedved to Philadelphia.
15.
Andy Delmore (rookie free agent signing): Offensive defenseman. Best known for his playoff hat trick in Game 5 of the Flyers playoff series against Pittsburgh in 2000 after scoring two goals in Game 3.
16.
Murray Baron: Sturdy and tough defensive defenseman who went to be a solid NHL foot solider. Baron only spent two years and 83 games in Philly before he was traded. It's hard to quibble with the trade that sent Baron and former captain Ron Sutter to St. Louis in exchange for young center Rod Brind'Amour.
17.
Kerry Huffman: The former 1st round pick suffered from being rushed to the NHL too quickly and having his confidence torn down by Mike Keenan. Impatient Flyers fans foolishly expected the 19-year-old to step right into the lineup and replace Brad McCrimmon (even though Huffman was a very different style of player) and then many turned on him. He struggled at times with turnovers and indecision. Finally started to come into his own offensively in 1991-92, when he tallied 14 goals and 32 points on a team that missed the playoffs. Huffman was traded to Quebec as part of the Eric Lindros deal. Played decently enough as a second-pairing defenseman in Quebec but struggled mightily after being dealt to an awful Ottawa Senators team. Briefly returned to the Flyers in 1995-96.
18.
Randy Jones (rookie free agent signing): Jones was fine as a third-pairing puck mover but got exposed when his minutes were extended. Cashed in on a solid 2007-08 season (31 points, plus eight) with a hefty contract the Flyers soon regretted. Placed on waivers in 2009, Jones was claimed by the Los Angeles Kings.
19.
Blake Wesley: Sandwiched in between the Flyers first-round selection of Brian Propp and subsequent second-round decision to choose Pelle Lindbergh in the legendarily deep 1979 Draft, the Flyers chose big, raw-boned defensive defenseman Wesley. A good body checker and willing fighter with average-at-best puck skills, Wesley had a promising rookie year in Philadelphia in 1980-81. Along with veteran Rick MacLeish, Wesley was dealt after the season as part of the trade with Hartford that sent a 1982 first-round pick (Ron Sutter) and forward Ray Allison to the Flyers.
20.
Jason Bowen: The second of two disappointing first-round picks the Flyers made in the 1992 Draft (the first, Ryan Sittler, never played a game in the NHL). Bowen split time in junior hockey as both a defenseman and winger and switched back and forth a few times in his pro career as well. Had an up-and-down rookie season for Terry Simpson's 1993-94 Flyers but was a plus-12 in 56 games for a team that missed the playoffs. When Terry Murray became the Flyers head coach, Bowen quickly fell out of favor. Bowen struggled with positioning, bad penalties and decision-making with the puck. He did little in the AHL to change Murray and Bob Clarke's thinking that he did not belong in the NHL. Eventually, Bowen switched to winger and then back to defense and then back to winger again while playing in just 10 more games for the Flyers over parts of the next three seasons. Got dealt to Edmonton early in the 1997-98 season in exchange for enforcer Brantt Myhres.
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