The Best Flyers Draft Pick by Position

By Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

The NFL Draft has taken over our city this week, and in honor of the event beginning tonight at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we look back at the Flyers draft history and the best picks that they have made at every position before the team on the other side of 11th Street goes on the clock.

For this analysis, we will look at things like where the player was drafted, how long they were with the team, and the production that they had while with the team. 

Center

The Flyers have drafted two of the game's truly elite centers, Peter Forsberg at sixth overall in 1991, and perhaps the team's most iconic player, Bobby Clarke, in the second round of the 1969 amateur draft. 

This would be a contest if the Flyers did not include Peter Forsberg in the package that landed Eric Lindros from the Quebec Nordiques. 

Forsberg scored 885 points in 708 NHL games, however he only spent 100 of those games with the Flyers. 

Bobby Clarke is the Flyers all-time leader in games played, assists and points. Clarke also captained the team to its only two Stanley Cup victories.

Selecting Clarke was a bit of a risky pick. Clarke was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 13 years old, and the disease scared away teams in a time when little was known about the disease. Three teams passed on Clarke twice, and the Boston Bruins, who Clarke would defeat for his first Stanley Cup, passed on him three times before the Flyers selected the center at 17th overall in the second round.

Ed Snider's extensive research into the disease and Clarke's personal situation gave him enough confidence to take a chance on the young forward, and that chance resulted in the greatest player in Flyers' history.

Selection: Bobby Clarke

Honorable Mention: Pelle Eklund, 452 points in 589 games for the Flyers, 161st overall pick (8th round) in 1983 draft.

Left Wing

There have been a few great left wingers to be drafted by the Flyers. The top three are Bill Barber, Brian Propp, and Patrick Sharp.

Barber and Propp were both first round picks, while Patrick Sharp was selected in the third round. Sharp would be the selection here had his Flyers' career not ended too soon after being involved in what is arguably one of the worst trades in Flyers history. Sharp was sent to Chicago, where he would win multiple Stanley Cups and become a perennial 30-goal scorer, in return for Matt Ellison, who only played seven games for the Flyers. 

That leaves Barber and Propp. Barber was selected seventh overall in 1972 and played alongside Clarke and Reggie Leach to form one of the most feared lines in NHL history. Propp was taken 14th overall in 1979, 

Barber is the Flyers all-time leading goal scorer with 420 goals, but Propp was drafted seven spots later and averaged over a point per game in 790 games. In 113 less games than Barber, Propp produced only 34 fewer points, making him the best left winger to be drafted by the team. 

Selection: Brian Propp

Honorable Mention: Dave Schultz (NHL's single-season penalty minutes leader, two Stanley Cup wins, 5th round pick in 1969)

Right Wing

When it comes to drafting right wingers, the Flyers have done extremely well. Simon Gagne, Mikael Renberg, Scott Mellanby, Rick Tocchet, and Justin Williams are all players who were drafted by the Orange and Black and went on to have productive careers in the NHL. 

Of that list, only Gagne and Williams were first-round picks. Renberg and Mellanby were both second-round picks, and Tocchet was selected in the sixth round. 

Mellanby and Williams played the least amount of games for the Flyers. Despite both of them moving on to have successful careers, their lack of time in Philadelphia will disqualify them from the selection.

Gagne has more games played, goals scored, and points than Renberg and Tocchet, while Tocchet leads the three in assists. Renberg is most remembered for being a staple of the Flyers Legion of Doom line with Lindros and John LeClair during one of the team's greatest eras. It is also the best period of Renberg's career, as he was unable to find the same success after he left Philadelphia. 

Gagne was one of the team's stars at the turn of the century, producing a 40-goal season and multiple 30-goal seasons on his way to ranking ninth all-time in goals scored for the franchise. 

Tocchet was actually a more efficient player than Gagne. Gagne averaged 0.77 points per game in his career with the Flyers, while Tocchet averaged 0.81 points per game as a Flyer. Their sample sizes are relatively similar as well, with Gagne playing 691 games for the Flyers, while Tocchet played in 621 games. 

Tocchet is also the Flyers all-time leader in penalty minutes. Tocchet's ability to impact the game in all areas of the ice, as well as being drafted in the sixth round as opposed the first round, like Gagne, makes him the selection here.

Selection: Rick Tocchet

Honorable Mention: Don Saleski (Three 20 goal seasons and two stanley cups as a sixth round pick in 1969.)

Defense

The Flyers worst position for draft picks is most likely defense, with all of the team's greatest defenders coming from trades or free agency. 

Fortunately for the Flyers, that is all about to change with a lot of high draft picks being used on defenders in recent seasons, however none of those players have enough experience to be considered for this list. 

Dennis Seidenberg and Gord Murphy are two players who went on to have long and productive careers after being drafted late, sixth round and ninth round respectively. Had either played stayed in Philadelphia for large portions of their careers, they would run away with this selection, however neither one spent more than four seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. 

There is only one player to select, and that is current Flyers commentator Chris Therien. Therien's 753 games leads all Flyers defenseman in games played, and ranks fourth among all Flyers players. 

Therien is also a very efficient plus-126 for his career with the Flyers. 

Drafted in the third round of the 1990 draft, Therien is easily the most valuable Flyers draft pick at the position, at least for right now. 

Selection: Chris Therien

Honorable Mention: Tom Bladon (2nd round pick in 1972, 230 points in 463 games)

Goalie

Despite the Flyer's perpetual struggle to find a long term solution in net, they have drafted some quality goaltenders over the years such as Roman Cechmanek, Antero Niittymaki, and Brian Boucher. 

Of those goalies they only drafted Boucher in the first round. The rest were selected in the sixth round of their drafts, including the obvious choice for the best goalie that the Flyers have ever drafted, Ron Hextall.

Hextall leads all Flyers goalies in games played, wins, and points scored, including being the first goalie in NHL history, and the only one in Flyers history, to score a goal. Hextall's 18 shutouts also rank third in team history. 

Hextall won the Vezina Trophy in his rookie season, and went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs that same year. Hextall is one of five players in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy and not win the Stanley Cup that same season.

Hextall also leads all goalies in NHL history in penalty minutes.

Hextall made history throughout his career, and has forever endeared himself to Flyers fans. When you think of Flyers goalies, Hextall is the only goalie who is mentioned in the same breath as Bernie Parent.

The fact that the Flyers drafted Hextall in the sixth round of the 1982 draft just makes his time as a Flyer even sweeter. 

Selection: Ron Hextall

Honorable Mention: Roman Cechmanek (6th round of the 2000 NHL Draft, his 20 shutouts are second in team history)