Flyers Decline To Sign Jay O’Brien; Receive Draft Pick
According to Elliott Friedman, the Flyers have declined to sign Jay O’Brien to an entry-level contract.
O’Brien was the Flyers’ second of two first-round picks in the 2018 Draft. He has spent his post-draft hockey seasons at Boston University, often battling through a litany of injuries.
He was healthy this season, and put up 8 goals and 24 assists for 32 points in 39 games with BU.
For a senior in a top program, it was an underwhelming result. Especially given the potential rewards at play.
By not signing O’Brien, the Flyers are entitled to draft compensation. According to Friedman and my own research, that draft pick will come in the 2023 draft.
Here’s the pertinent passage I found on the subject:
Regardless, that second-round pick is a shot at acquiring something when you could otherwise be getting nothing from O’Brien.
There was good reason to pass on giving O’Brien his ELC after this season.
Of course, there was an even better reason to pass on O’Brien back during the 2018 draft day. Hindsight is 20/20, but here’s a list of prospects drafted after O’Brien.
There are guys who are already quality NHL regulars on that list. And O’Brien was never signed to an ELC.
These are the type of draft-day blunders that doom a franchise.
Let’s hope we’ve seen the last of those cataclysmic blunders for a while. The franchise can’t handle many more.
Mandatory Credit: Johnny Ulecka
