Philadelphia Flyers: Blockbuster trades highlighted 2011 NHL Draft

Sean Couturier was expected to be the favorite to be drafted first overall in 2011. But a bout with mononucleosis and a slow start knocked him off the top of the list.

He ended up falling in the draft, allowing the Flyers to scoop him up with that eighth pick. The team actually liked a few defenseman that were around the area they picked.

He ended up making the team out of camp as an 18-year old. The expectation following him was that of a prolific scorer. He had 96 points in back to back seasons in the QMJHL.

While the offense took time to develop, he quickly became a shut down defender early on in his career. He most notably shut down Evgeni Malkin in the playoffs while scoring his first career hat trick in the series as well.

Some Flyers fans finally got what they wanted when he broke out during the 2017-18 season. He collected 31 goals and 45 assists. He followed up that season with 33 goals and 43 assists last season.

A promotion to the top line and playing with Claude Giroux helped grow his offensive game. But his defensive side never wavered. He is regarded as one of the best two-way forwards in the league.

A finalist for the Selke Trophy before, this could finally be the season that he takes it home. While the offense was down a little, his defensive side seemingly got even better. The Flyers are certainly happy they were able to scoop him up with the eighth pick.

Nick Cousins was acquired with the other pick given to the Flyers in the Carter trade. At 17 years old, the team took a chance on Cousins. He had averaged a point-per-game in the OHL that season.

He was on the smaller side, but had an agitating style to his game. He was the type of player who wasn’t afraid to get under your skin. Cousins erupted during his final junior season, collecting 27 goals and 76 assists.

That was third in the entire OHL. He was set to make his official debut in the AHL in 2013-14. He performed nicely in his first official season, posting 29 points in 74 games.

Cousins would make his NHL debut during the 2014-15 season. He would get 11 games total, but didn’t do much with the opportunity. The Phantoms became his home once again as he posted even better numbers that year. He reached 56 points, collecting 20+ goals and 30+ assists.

The NHL time increased even further over the next two seasons as he began to carve a role for himself in the NHL. Cousins grabbed his first NHL goal during the 2015-16. He chipped in with six goals and four assists overall.

The following season would be his last in Philadelphia, but the only season of his Flyers career in which he did not see AHL time. He posted the same goal total, adding in a few more assists.

He was later traded to the Arizona Coyotes where he posted a career-high 12 goals. His 27 points in his second season with Arizona is also a career-high. Cousins split this past season between the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights.

Following those two picks, the remaining players drafted by the Flyers never played a game in the NHL. That began with fourth round pick Colin Sullentrop.

He actually never played a single game in the NHL. Sullentrop appeared in five seasons for the Oshawa Generals in the OHL. He didn’t show off much during his time there, five goals and 25 points being his best season.

He then went off to the University of New Brunswick where he spent four seasons with the team. Sullentrop scored just two goals during his collegiate career. One came in his freshman year while the other was in his senior season.

Sullentrop hasn’t played any sort of hockey since he graduated college in 2018. He is currently a free agent.

Marcel Noebels is up next as he was drafted in the fourth round as well. He was in his first season in North American prior to being drafted. For the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, Noebels posted 28 goals and 26 assists.

That was impressive for someone who had only played in Germany. He would make his debut with the Adirondack Phantoms in the 2012-13 seasons. Noebels would split time time between the AHL and ECHL that season. He grabbed 53 total points that season, on par with his last two seasons of junior hockey.

He would only play one more season in North American before heading back to Germany for good. He has regressed tremendously in his last season with the Phantoms. He grabbed just three goals and eight assists. It didn’t help that he was limited by injuries.

Noebels has been with Eisbaren Berlin of the DEL since 2014. He had a breakout season for the team this year, collecting 23 goals and 29 assists. He led the team in goals and points. He was tied for third in the entire league in points.

Noebels did end up signing an entry-level contract with the team before, but never ended up signing another deal.

After two picks in the fourth round, the team grabbed Petr Placek in the sixth round of the draft. He was limited by injuries in his final season with Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. He played in just 16 games that season, though he was about a point-per-game with 17 points.

Injuries followed him his entire hockey career. He had knee surgery, a high ankle sprain and chronic back pain. That all came before he was even enrolled at Harvard University.

The back pain would end up lasting over two years for Placek. He would face even more injuries throughout his college career. More than any one player should have to deal with.

He did end up playing collegiate hockey, but didn’t do much there. Injuries cost him again as he only played one game during the 2013-14 campaign. Placek played in 46 games for Harvard, grabbing a total of just three points.

That would be his final season of collegiate hockey as he made the tough decision to not come back during his senior year.

He was never signed by the Flyers and never played a single game of professional hockey for any team. But at that point in his life, staying healthy was a much bigger obstacle to face.

The Flyers had one final pick in the 2011 Draft, taking Derek Mathers in the seventh round. Mathers was more known for his fighting ability than he was for offense.

He tallied 475 penalty minutes in 184 games for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. His offense did increase each season as he posted 10 goals and 29 points in his final junior season.

Mathers was the first player to be suspended by the OHL for breaking the 10-fight limit rule. The rule was passed before Mathers’ final season to try and limit fighting in the OHL. He would miss four of the Petes’ final five games.

Mathers made his way to the Adirondack Phantoms where he posted two goals and 105 penalty minutes in 34 games. From then on, he bounced between the AHL and ECHL.

He wouldn’t score another goal for the Phantoms in 43 games.  His final goal in the Flyers organization came in 2015-16 for the Reading Royals. It was the only goal he scored in 27 games.

He moved on to the Allen Americans of the ECHL in what turned out to be his final season of professional hockey. He collected seven goals and 12 assists, by far his best output. The 274 penalty minutes were also a career high.

Mathers would end up returning from professional hockey after that season. He was never projected more than a fourth line enforcer. Being drafted in the sixth round, there wasn’t much expectation of anything further.