It’s the moment we have all been waiting for. The Philadelphia Flyers select Tyson Foerster with the 23rd overall pick in the first round. After the 2020 Stanley Cup playoff performance where the Flyers powerplay was abysmal, Foerster is a welcomed addition to provide a spark on special teams.
Last season, Tyson Foerster spent time with the Barrie Colts in the OHL. It was the best season of his developing hockey career. Foerster tallied 80 total points, featuring 36 goals, and dished 44 assists. The Philadelphia Flyers’ first-round pick is a strong skater, possesses a cannon-like shot, and makes great plays from the forecheck with his hockey intelligence. He’ll likely spend a brief amount of time in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms before debuting with the Flyers with one of the best one-timers in the entire draft.
The Philadelphia Flyers have yet to make an offer to Tyler Pitlick, Derek Grant, or Nate Thompson. Those players are all unrestricted free agents. By selecting Tyson Foerster, he’ll likely find his way into the bottom six forwards early in the 2020-2021 season. Immediately, his competition is most notably Morgan Frost. Nolan Patrick received an offer from the Flyers as a restricted free agent. If Patrick can play in 2020-2021, then add him to the list of competitors who are competing to earn time against Foerster.
Chuck Fletcher and Alain Vigneault knew that they had to make a pivotal play to bolster the powerplay and penalty kill while adding quality depth to an already young, deep roster. The Philadelphia Flyers organization is on the cusp of special success. Forcing the New York Islanders to a game seven in the Eastern Conference Semifinals is nothing to sneeze at. Under the coaching of Vigneault and the leadership of players like Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Kevin Hayes, Tyson Foerster will be able to contribute quickly.
Tomorrow, the Philadelphia Flyers complete the NHL Draft with coverage starting at 11:30am ET. After selecting Foerster in the first round, what will Chuck Fletcher do with his other draft picks? Will the Flyers make a trade for another forward or move up in the draft? Find out all of this and more on day two of the 2020 NHL Draft!
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