Yesterday I looked at the best players other teams selected with a Flyers draft pick. Well what about the flip side? Today, I’ll look at the best players the Flyers drafted with picks they acquired from other teams.
Number 5- Patrick Sharp
Sharp is a player well renowned in Philadelphia Flyers lore as someone who was traded too early and succeeded with his future team, but does anyone know how he got here? Taken 95th overall in 2001, the pick was originally owned by the Red Wings. The Wings traded the pick to Nashville to move up in the 2000 draft, and the Predators then traded that pick to Philadelphia in return for defenseman Mark Eaton. Sharp played 66 games over parts of three seasons in Philly before being traded to Chicago in a famously bad trade for Matt Ellison.
Number 4- Shayne Gostisbehere
Drafting Shayne Gostisbehere came thanks to one of the low-key great trades in Flyers history. Initially a San Jose pick, Florida acquired a 2011 second round pick (Rasmus Bengtsson) and a 2012 third from the Sharks so they could move up 12 spots in the 2011 draft. six days later, the Panthers traded the 3rd round pick to the Flyers in exchange for forward Kris Versteeg. Gostisbehere has developed into a top offensive defenseman while Versteeg turned into a journeyman, playing for five teams after his 27-game stint in Philly.
Number 3- Sean Couturier
Taken 8th overall in 2011, Couturier ended up being the crown jewel of the Jeff Carter trade. On June 23, 2011, the Flyers shook their whole foundation with two blockbuster trades, shipping captain Mike Richards and assistant captain Jeff Carter out of town. Carter was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for top prospect Jake Voracek, a 2011 third round pick (Nick Cousins), and a 2011 first round pick being Sean Couturier. Couturier has developed into the Flyers top line center and one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL.
Number 2- Jeff Carter
Not only was Jeff Carter famously traded away from Philly, he was also drafted thanks to another great trade. The Flyers acquired the 11th overall pick in the star-studded 2003 NHL draft from the Coyotes all the way back in 2001. The Flyers traded rising star Daymond Langkow to the Coyotes for a 2002 second round pick (Dan Spang) and a 2003 first round pick (Jeff Carter). Spang never played in the NHL, and Langkow was a solid scorer for another eight years, but Carter became a star during his tenure in Philadelphia and later Los Angeles.
Number 1- Mikael Renberg
One-third of the famed Legion of Doom line, Renberg became a Flyer in what was originally a relatively boring trade. Taken 40th overall in 1990, the pick originated from the Buffalo Sabres. On March 2, 1990, the Flyers traded enforcer defenseman Jay Wells and a 1991 fourth round pick (Peter Ambroziak) to the Sabres for forward Kevin Maguire and a 1990 second round pick (Mikael Renberg). Renberg would go on to play 366 games over two different tenures as a Flyer registering 296 points.
Honorable mentions
Chris Therien – The long-time Flyers defenseman was another product of the 1990 NHL entry draft. Picked by the Flyers 47th overall, the pick belonged to the Penguins. In one of the rare trades between the cross-state rivals, the Flyers shipped goalie Wendall Young and a 1990 seventh round pick (Mika Valila) in exchange for a 1990 third round pick. Therien still sits fifth in Flyers history in games played with 753.
Roman Cechmanek– A great late-round snag for the Flyers, Cechmanek was drafted 171 overall in 2000. The Flyers acquired the pick from Tampa Bay as they moved up in the 2000 draft. The Flyers traded a fourth round pick (Johan Hagglund) in exchange for a 2000 sixth round pick (Roman Cechmanek), 2000 seventh round pick (John Eichelberger) and a 2000 ninth round pick (Milan Kopecky). Cechmanek would play three stellar seasons in Philadelphia, but his lackluster efforts in the postseason ended his Flyers career prematurely as he was shipped to the LA Kings in 2003.
Travis Konecny– One of the many young stars acquired by Ron Hextall during is tenure as general manager, Konency is the first to stick around at the NHL level. Trading up in the 2015 NHL draft, the Flyers selected Konency at 24 with a pick that stemmed from Nashville. The Preds traded the pick to Toronto in a trade that brought Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli to Nashville. The Leafs then traded that pick to the Flyers in return for a 2015 first (Gabriel Carlsson) and a 2015 second (Jeremy Bracco). Philly moved up five spots to select Konency 24th overall.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: SI.com
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