THURSDAY QUICK HITS'

* Rumors persist that the Flyers are actively trying to trade up from the 17th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. As of now, it is unclear how much of that speculation stems from legitimately sourced info about serious discussions involving the Flyers and how much is simply due to people running with Flyers GM Ron Hextall's comment on Tuesday that there is a "drop off after the top 10" prospects (as the Flyers view them) in the Draft pool and that the team would consider trying to trade up.

* I spoke earlier today with an NHL scout about how he would characterize this year's Draft in one word: "Unpredictable," he said.

The scout noted that there is no shortage of highly-skilled players but many of the top players are undersized, have question marks about at least one major aspect of their upside or have reputed character/maturity questions (he did not identify Anthony DeAngelo or Joshua Ho-Sang by name, but those are the two Draft prospects about whom "character questions" come up the most frequently).

"There are a lot of feast-or-famine types in this Draft, and the safer picks may not have the highest ceilings," the scout said. "There are probably going to be quite a few busts but I also think there will be a fair share of really good players and even possibly some value picks who turn out to be impact players. A Draft like this requires a little lucky guesswork as well as a lot of homework and feel. It's never easy to project players three or five years from now, but this year is maybe a little tougher."

* For whatever it is worth, TSN commentator and former NHL general manager Craig Button's mock draft (which is separate from his Craig's List personal rankings of Draft projects) had the Flyers rolling the dice on Anthony DeAngelo with the 17th overall pick. He has DeAngelo 15th on his personal rankings. A year ago, Button pegged Philly's selection of Samuel Morin.

* On Friday and Saturday, I will post a running live blog from the Draft. As the Flyers make Draft picks and/or trades, I will add information and commentary. If there are any major developments today, I will update this blog.

Join the Discussion: » 963 Comments » Post New Comment

» Quick Hits: Briere & Tortorella, Ristolainen, Phantoms, Exit Day Wrap

» Quick Hits: End-of-Season, Phantoms, Rizzo

» Wrap: Flyers Unable to Muster a Go-Ahead Goal in 2-1 Loss to Caps

» Flyers Gameday: 4/15/2024 vs. WSH

» Quick Hits: Practice Day, Phantoms