By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
It’s been a few weeks since Flyers fans got the surprise of the second overall pick at the upcoming draft, opening up new possibilities for a top notch prospect to join the organization.
Much of the Flyers recent history has been more about watching prospects that could make an impact in the future than a lot of the placeholders on the current team. One prospect that has very much flown under the radar is Samuel Dove-McFalls, taken 98th overall in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Dove-McFalls is a curious case for the Flyers. As one of the few unsigned prospects from recent draft years, the Flyers are facing a deadline on a decision for the 2015 pick.
Dove-McFalls was drafted by the Flyers after a solid season with the St. John’s Sea Dogs in the QMJHL, scoring 14 goals and adding 20 assists for 34 points in 2014-15.
But then Dove-McFalls saw his potential take a hit. Just five games into the 2015-16 season, a knee injury that required surgery sidelined him long-term. He returned later in the year to play in 29 games that season, but only managed five goals and seven assists for 12 points. He started to show signs of potential again in the playoffs that year, with six goals and seven points in 17 games, but his place with the Flyers was certainly in question. The injury and his impending return from it was certainly a strong reason for the Flyers holding off on an entry-level deal.
In his fourth season in the QMJHL, and second as a Flyers prospect, Dove-McFalls remains the only Flyers prospect left playing hockey at the moment. St. John’s won the QMJHL title, advancing to the Memorial Cup.
Dove-McFalls was a big reason for it. He scored 17 goals and added 36 assists for 53 points in 65 games, all career-highs. In the playoffs, Dove-McFalls has five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 18 games.
The 20-year-old would be an instant candidate to join the Lehigh Valley Phantoms next season should he sign his entry-level deal. But to this point, there have been no updates. There doesn't appear to be progress. And the Flyers are running out of time.
The Flyers would have to sign Dove-McFalls by June 1, or he could re-enter the NHL Draft pool and be selected again. It is widely believed that another team would almost certainly select Dove-McFalls in a middle round of this year's draft to bolster forward depth.
That said, Dove-McFalls is very much in touch with what the Flyers are doing and trying not to get ahead of anything. Right now, his focus is on the Memorial Cup, but his goal is for a contact to come before the deadline.
"Obviously, you do, but you have to play for the team," Dove-McFalls said to CSN Philly. "I don't control what they do and what decision they make. All I can do is try to play my best. When the team does well, then everyone does well. Hopefully, that's going to happen, that's the plan."
Dove-McFalls also is regularly in contact with Flyers development coach John Riley. The two frequently communicate, largely about life as a professional athlete. Dove-McFalls has also remained familiar with the many prospects the team has acquired over the past couple of years.
"Obviously, they had nine or 10 guys at the World Juniors this year and then you have Konecny and Provorov who were already on the team, so that's exciting. We have a lot of good young prospects," Dove-McFalls said. "I think the organization is moving in the right direction. I'm not really looking too far ahead, I realize I'm still a long ways away, but it's good they're going in the right direction stockpiling prospects."
Dove-McFalls may have put up career numbers this season, but he’s not projected to be the type of talent that transforms an offense. But he does have the potential to be solid bottom-six forward.
The Flyers have a plethora of forward prospects that fit a similar description, but teams generally stick a collection of those players at the AHL level and see who emerges.
So why are the Flyers facing a deadline to sign Dove-McFalls? Typically, players are signed fairly early out of the draft, but some of the later picks tend to not get contracts until another year of their careers to see if there is improvement and development. When Dove-McFalls suffered the injury, the Flyers didn’t get that chance.
While Dove-McFalls has had a solid year and certainly proved to be worthy of an offer, the Flyers are probably not going to extend one while the 20-year-old is still focused on playing in the Memorial Cup. Once his season comes to a close, the Flyers may try to get something done just before the deadline hits.
But it remains a curious case. The Flyers have waited this long and with the deadline looming, they could potentially lose one of the draft picks from two solid classes over the last two drafts.
For a team that has based its entire blueprint on the build and construction of the team through the draft, losing a prospect because this deadline expired would be an odd occurrence.
