Ryan White has been able to see Nolan Patrick up close and he can tell the young Flyers forward has what it takes.
The scrimmages in Manitoba are not heavy on contact, but Nolan Patrick has been participating in them for almost two months now. There is plenty of optimism surrounding his status for next season. But for now, the young Flyers forward has been taking it all in alongside a former member of the Philadelphia team.
The scrimmages are run by former NHLer Ryan White. The group consists of top NHL talent and prospects from around the area. Turns out even Travis Sanheim has taken part in a scrimmage. With this event, White has been able to get a close look at some of what Patrick has been able to do.
And you can count him as one of the people impressed with what he has seen thus far. Patrick’s last NHL game was April 2nd, 2019. That is well over a year since his last action. These scrimmages won’t make up for that, but they have been a positive sign during the last few months.
Chuck Fletcher spoke back in September, mentioning that the team is counting on him to play at some point next season. And despite not knowing for sure until he is in a contact situation, the belief is that he has been improving day by day. White has been seeing that improvement and believes that Patrick has what it takes to succeed in the NHL.
"“The kid’s got what it takes to be a great player. As a young player in [the NHL], it’s not an easy league, especially when you’re not healthy. And if you’re not healthy, he’s got to get healthy and then from then on, I think he’s going to be a great player. It just takes time. He’s in a perfect situation with a guy like Claude Giroux who’s going to definitely show him the way. As the way I would see it and I’m sure Chuck Fletcher sees it, hopefully Nolan Patrick’s the next Claude Giroux.”"
Patrick’s offensive numbers are solid for a player of his age. He posted 13 goals in his first two seasons, along with 30 and 31 points respectively. Drafted second overall, those aren’t quite the numbers that some may have hoped for, however. The expectation was that he would be able to contribute right away. That has been what has led some to believe that he might not be able to make it.
One thing to remember is that it has been tough to see Patrick healthy for an entire season. He came to the Flyers needing abdominal surgery, he had an abscess during the summer, and he dealt with concussion issues as well. So we may not have even seen the best from him yet. He went second overall for a reason afterall.
Helping the Wheat Kings to a championship in 2016, Patrick posted 41 goals and 102 points. And even with an injury-shortened season the following year, he still managed 20 goals and 46 points in 33 games. He was back and forth with Nico Hischier as the top prospect in that draft up until the day they were picked.
As Fletcher said, we won’t truly know where Patrick is until the Flyers are able to come together as a team. The league is still looking at January 1st as a target date, but a lot will need to be figured out before that can happen. If that holds true, we could see Patrick back in the area in about a month.
For now, the scrimmages are a good test to see that he is able to skate and compete. And for Patrick, that is the best thing he could ask for right now.