The Philadelphia Flyers’ blueline has been a carousel for years, and their drafting has had a lot to do with that. Back in 2013, the Flyers drafted Sam Morin at 11th overall. Morin wouldn’t make his NHL debut until the 2016-17 season, and bounced around between the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the Flyers every year after that. Morin tore his same ACL in 2018 and 2019, which reportedly caused permanent and irreversible damage to his knee, effectively ending his playing career. Due to the damage, Morin was forced to try to make the Flyers as an enforcer rather than a defenseman in the 2020-21 season thanks to his reduced mobility. Morin played only 27 games in total that season, which would also be his last. As a result, Morin played 54 total games from the 2016-17 season to the end of his career, including just 29 at the NHL level. In the NHL, Morin posted just one goal and no assists.
rewatching sam morin’s first goal knowing he won’t be able to continue his career is hitting me hard man :( pic.twitter.com/mVAXUsiUNq
— chronic hater (@claudgiroux) May 3, 2022
The 2013 Draft wasn’t excellent by any means, but the Philadelphia Flyers could have drafted almost any other defenseman that was chosen in the first round. Josh Morrissey, Ryan Pulock, Nikita Zadorov, and Shea Theodore all developed into very good NHL defensemen. Morrissey was named an NHL All-Star for the first time in 2023, while Shea Theodore won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights. Pulock and Zadorov have both been steady top-four defenders for their teams as well. Mirco Mueller was also drafted in 2013, but neither the New Jersey Devils nor the San Jose Sharks could develop him into an everyday NHLer. Still, Mueller managed to play in 185 NHL games.