A historical look at what Flyers could get with 14th overall draft pick

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On Wednesday, we looked at the history of the 19th overall pick, one of two first-rounders the Flyers own in June’s NHL draft. The 19th pick is their own. They also have the Blues’ pick at 14.

The 14th pick teeters at the end of the lottery. Let’s take a look at some previous hits and misses at 14 before we move onto specifics of this year’s draft.

Hits

1979: Brian Propp, LW, Flyers
Flyers fans know Propp all too well. He was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame in 1999 and holds several Flyers franchise records that still stand. The five-time All-Star finished his 15-year career with 1,004 points. He had 849 points in 790 games over 11 years with the Flyers.

1992: Sergei Gonchar, D, Capitals
Gonchar had a long career before finally being awarded a Stanley Cup as a player in 2009 with the Penguins. He later won two more as a development coach with Pittsburgh. A five-time All-Star, Gonchar collected 220 goals and 811 points in 1,301 career games with six teams.

1973: Rick Middleton, RW, Rangers
Drafted by the Rangers, Middleton made his noise with the Bruins. Middleton had 448 goals and 988 points in 1,005 career games and had seven straight seasons with 30 or more goals. He holds the NHL record for the most points in a single playoff series (19).

2016: Charlie McAvoy, D, Bruins
McAvoy was the 14th overall pick just two years ago but already has established himself with Boston. McAvoy is a smooth-skating, puck-moving, right-handed defenseman. McAvoy missed out on being a Calder Trophy finalist this year. He had seven goals and 32 points in 63 games.

Misses

2008: Zach Boychuk, C, Hurricanes
Boychuk probably follows you on Twitter because his NHL career never panned out. He had just 30 points in 127 NHL games, bouncing around quite often. He last played in the KHL in 2016-17.

2009: Dmitry Kulikov, D, Panthers
Kulikov is currently with the Jets, who are four wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final, but the defenseman never reached his potential with the Panthers. Florida traded Kulikov to the Sabres in June 2016 and after one season in Buffalo, he opted for free agency. He had 11 points in 62 games this season with Winnipeg and has yet to play in the postseason.

2012: Zemgus Girgensons, C, Sabres
The Sabres traded a first- and second-round pick to move up seven spots to draft Girgensons in 2012. In five seasons, Girgensons hasn’t panned out. He’s had seven goals in each of the past three seasons. Last year, he finished with 15 points in 71 games. Not exactly the production you want from a player you move up seven selections to take.

Analysis
The history of the 14th pick has a solid return rate and has produced some impactful players. If the Flyers keep this pick, they should come away with a strong prospect here.

But with two first-rounders, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall might want to use his ammo to move up into the top-10 (see story). Two picks in the teens would add to an already stacked system. That's a decision Hextall is going to have to weigh.

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