New reports say that Philadelphia Flyers center Nolan Patrick might become available in trade. Would this end the Nolan versus Nico debate prematurely?
Coming into the 2017 NHL Draft, the analysts were split between Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick. Patrick had the resume, but Nico had the upside. It’s clear at this point New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero made the right choice taking Hischier with that pick.
Now, Hischier was the right choice of the past two years, but he definitely did not win the Nico vs. Nolan debate outright. Two seasons a career does not make. They are both still too young to make final judgments. However, Hischier has 38 more points than Patrick in just five more games.
Patrick has not been good in his two years in the league. The Flyers thought they were going to have a powerhouse down the middle. With Patrick manning the second line, they thought Sean Couturier could be the top-line center and never worry about the top six. Well, that changed completely this week.
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The Flyers traded for the rights to re-sign Kevin Hayes, a center who’s going to get paid like a top-six player. According to the ever reliable Evolving Wild contract predictor, Hayes is expected to make close to $6 million over six years. There is no chance that they are paying him that if they think Patrick is the future.
The question of whether Nico won the debate does end if Nolan gets traded. It honestly resets everything about draft clout when a team gives up on a player. So yes, if the Flyers trade Patrick for anything, then the debate is over and Nico wins.
Just look at the Tyler or Taylor debate from 2010. It rarely gets brought up, and nobody compares Taylor Hall to Tyler Seguin anymore because both their draft teams traded them. Also, it’s pretty clear both teams traded them for less than what they were worth. The point is, since both players were traded, they were no longer compared to each other.
The Nico vs. Nolan debate might turn into the Nico vs. Elias debate once it’s all said and done. Hischier has been amazing as the Devils center, and Elias Pettersson has a remarkable rookie season where he scored close to a point per game this season for the Vancouver Canucks. Hischier vs. Pettersson does not have the same ring to it that Nico vs. Nolan has, but it may be the argument going forward.