Overlapping with the Bryzgalov acquisition from Phoenix and subsequent contract negotiation, Holmgren was also engaged for weeks in discussions of major trades with the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets. From the Kings, the Flyers received year-old right winger Wayne Simmonds , center prospect Brayden Schenn and a second-round pick in exchange for Richards and minor league forward Rob Bordson. At the last moment, the second-rounder was deferred to the Draft due to the Kings being unable to get a physical exam done on Richards.
Schenn, then 20 years old, was widely considered one of the NHL's top prospects. Selected with the fifth overall pick of the NHL Draft, he had two cups of coffee in the NHL following the Draft but primarily continued to make his mark at the junior hockey level as well as during a dominant performance for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. Simmonds was a late bloomer as a prospect. The selection, at the time, was considered an off-the-board pick.
Most pundits and the majority of NHL organizations had pegged the year-old as middle-round or even late-round candidate. The Kings scouts knew what they were doing, however. He immediately established himself as a top-nine forward in the NHL, scoring double-digit goals, and plus points in two of his first three seasons. The Flyers pro scouts liked what they saw in viewings of LA games.
The Philly staff believed that he could eventually become a periodic goal scorer on top of bringing a physical element, toughness, relentless forechecking and an excellent work ethic. No one even then quite foresaw the perennial highs to goal score that Simmonds became immediately upon arrival in Philadelphia; the dramatic uptick in his NHL goal-scoring production was a pleasant surprise from a player whose OHL high had been 33 goals in 60 games during the season.
From Columbus, in exchange for Carter, the Flyers received year-old forward Jakub Voracek , the eighth overall pick of the Draft, and a third-round pick 68th overall. Flyers scouts - initially the assessments of the amateur scouts and later via the pro scouting staff - had been high on Voracek for several years because of his combination of size, speed and playmaking ability.
As a matter of fact, Voracek had very much been on the Flyers' radar for the Draft. The Flyers held the second overall pick in the Draft. The Edmonton Oilers held three picks in the first round 6th, 15th and 21st , but hoped to move up.
The Oilers offered the 6th and 21st picks to the Flyers in exchange for the second. Holmgren drove a hard bargain. He insisted that the Oilers include all three of their first rounders if they truly coveted the second overall pick.
Ultimately, the two teams stood pat. Philadelphia selected James van Riemsdyk with the second overall pick. If the move-down deal with Edmonton had come to fruition, the Flyers would have taken Voracek with the sixth overall pick.
As the first round played out, Edmonton selected forward Sam Gagner himself a future Flyer with the sixth overall pick. Voracek went seventh overall to Columbus. McDonagh went 12th to the Montreal Canadiens. After he turned pro, Voracek had some early-career growing pains with the Blue Jackets.
Nevertheless, his potential was obvious. Voracek posted points over his first three NHL season. By comparison, Carter produced points over his first three NHL campaigns with the Flyers after he was selected with the 11th overall pick of the landmark Draft.
The Flyers pro scouts, along with Holmgren, believed that it was only a matter of time before Voracek's NHL offensive game took off in its own right. The jump off point proved to be in the second half of the season. His assists ranked eighth as well. Gotten really close to him. I think he would say the same thing. I think it was time for Jake to go to a new team and re-energize.
It was time for us to bring in different players and get going in a different direction. Atkinson brings a lot of positive energy and excitement to the Flyers. He has a shoot-first mentality and plays the game the right way. Atkinson is a great penalty killer as well, which is something that the Flyers desperately need. Voracek and Giroux combined to carry lifeless Flyers rosters to the playoffs in , , and , and got their one final time in in what looked like the big step for the Flyers.
Unfortunately, they took a step back last season and a change needed to be made. On July 13 Huselius was working out in Sweden, rehabbing from groin surgery he underwent in April, when he tore a pectoral muscle.
With Huselius out for an extended time the Blue Jackets signed free agent Vinny Prospal to take his place. Prospal has proven to be an effective replacement, but he is not the playmaker Huselius is. Huselius came back some might say was rushed back for two games in December during which he was mainly ineffective before he was injured again. That is significantly below the expected level of play for two players of their caliber making the amount of money they make. It is especially frustrating to see the defensive issues the line has had.
Nash was a horrible two-way player early in his career putting up a combined during his first two seasons in the NHL. With everything taken into consideration, should the Blue Jackets have made the trade?
With only half a season having passed, it is hard to argue that the Blue Jackets received the better end of the deal, but I would still argue that they likely came out of the trade with the best player. With their history of draft busts and failures and actually having a surplus of centers it is possible the Blue Jackets would not have selected Couturier at all. It is possible they would have drafted one of the defensemen that went in the next few picks like Dougie Hamilton or Ryan Murphy.
They also could have looked for another player instead of Carter, perhaps Mike Richards who the Flyers traded to the Los Angeles Kings would have been a better target to acquire and play with Nash, someone who is better known for being a playmaking pivot. With the situation the Blue Jackets are in, it is entirely possible that one or even both of Carter and Nash are shipped out to start rebuilding around the younger players the team possesses like Ryan Johansen, John Moore, and Matt Calvert.
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