The Flyers paid a heavy price to trade up for Jack Nesbitt. (Photo: Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
The Philadelphia Flyers shocked many when they traded with the Pittsburgh Penguins to draft Jack Nesbitt, but the price paid might not be so bad after all.
Shortly after drafting Porter Martone with the No. 6 pick, the Flyers traded picks 22 and 31 to the Penguins in exchange for No. 12, which they subsequently used on the 6-foot-5 Nesbitt.
The Penguins ultimately selected QMJHL winger Bill Zonnon with the 22nd pick, then used the 31st pick and their 57th pick, a second-rounder, to move up to 24 with the Los Angeles Kings sliding back.
The 24th pick was used on Michigan center Will Horcoff, who, like Nesbitt, is a tool-laden center with the size you can't teach.
Effectively, with the trade now complete from the Flyers' side of things, Philadelphia got the center they preferred at the cost of Zonnon.
Zonnon is a good prospect, but he ranked fourth on my Flyers big board at the left wing position behind Malcom Spence, Cullen Potter, and Lynden Lakovic, who were all available after the Penguins selected Horcoff.
With three second-round picks in their cupboard still, there's a great chance the Flyers can land one of those guys; Lakovic, at 6-foot-5, seems to fit the kind of team they're building, even though he doesn't use his size all that much.
But that's the benefit of having Rick Tocchet as the head coach and adding Nesbitt. Even Martone isn't all that physical, but he can do the job when needed.
But, yes, although the value on the Jack Nesbitt trade was poor, the Flyers lined up their shot and took it well. It's up to them and their development staff to now make it count in the long run.
