9. Simon Gagne
Drafted: 1st round, 22nd overall pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft
Written by Ryan Walsh
Drafted in 1998, it’s easy to argue that Simon Gagne may not even be the best player that the Flyers have ever taken with the 22nd overall pick (See: C. Giroux and B. Boucher). However, he could almost always be found at the center of so many of the biggest moments and greatest successes for the franchise during the 2000s. His consistency and leadership on the ice made him a favorite of many during his long tenure in Philadelphia. However Gagne was productive during the regular season posting seven 20-goal seasons in the ‘orange and black’.
In two seasons following the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Gagne developed fantastic chemistry with fellow Flyers draft pick Peter Forsberg who the team had acquired as a free agent in 2005. He missed the 2007-2008 season due to concussion but came back in force the following season. The next year Gagne had 40 assists and 39 goals in 79 games played. The 2010 NHL season would see the Flyers make the playoffs and Gagne was a key player in the games of the second round. He scored the game winning goal in game four to lift the Flyers over the Boston Bruins. Gagne had two goals in game five and the winning goal in game seven. The Flyers would be the third NHL team in history to erase a big deficit. It was a hard loss for the Flyers when Gagne was sent to Tampa Bay after the season ended.
Next: Number 8: Joni Pitkanen