There was some speculation ahead of and during the draft that the Flyers could trade down in the first round. And when their pick rolled around, the three-minute clock ran out without a selection. Instead of drafting at 21, the Flyers moved down to 27, picked up another second-round pick, and added a fourth rounder. They had previously traded away their fourth-round pick in the Trevor Zegras trade.
The Flyers could afford to move down a few spots, and picking up some extra picks later in the draft is tidy work from Danny Briere. And add in the fact that there were many players of a similar skill set available, they were able to trade down and still get who they wanted.
Maksim Sokolovskii's name had been linked to the Flyers by more than a few people. And moving down to pick him up was more in line with his ranking, though it was still a bit early. The London Knights defender quickly rose on draft boards and was trusted with more responsibility by the coaching staff later in the year. He has drawn comparisons to Nikita Zadorov and is the largest player in the draft, coming in at 6'8" and 238 lbs.
So while the Flyers add a large and physical defenseman to their pool, there is a lot of risk involved. Sokolovskii's game needs plenty of work at this stage, so the Flyers are banking on his ability to learn and will hope that he improves enough to carve out an NHL role. His puck handling and passing skills are major areas that he will need to work on, and that's not necessarily something you want to hear about a defenseman when they are one of the most important positions at breaking the puck out of the zone.
He does have surprisingly good mobility for a player his size. And he has the competitiveness to get better, a trait the Flyers no doubt coveted. However, there are still plenty of things he will need to work on. It's going to be more than a few years before Sokolovskii is ready for the NHL. He should get one more year in London before heading to the University of Maine. The college game may be better for him to learn the finer points of what he will need to do to have a chance in the NHL.
The Flyers did need to add some more depth to their defensive pool, especially on the left side. So they did check a box in that regard. But how many times can the Flyers draft a player simply because he's large? Especially when they already have more than a few big defensemen who have a limited offensive profile.
If all breaks right, Sokolovskii could develop into a top-four defenseman. But he has extreme boom or bust potential surrounding him. The more likely outcome is that he's a bottom-pair defenseman in the end. And that's not someone you spend a first-round draft pick on.
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