Flyers Trade Down, Draft D Maksim Sokolovskii with 27th Pick

There was always a strong possibility that with the Philadelphia Flyers back among the playoff teams for the first time in a while, that a trade could happen. When it was the Flyers’ turn at the 21st pick, that’s exactly what happened.

The Flyers traded back with the San Jose Sharks for the 27th overall pick, a second-round pick at 62nd overall, and a fourth-round pick at 120th overall. With the 27th pick, they selected defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii.

Sokolovskii is a 6-foot-7, 238-pound blueliner most noted for his massive appearance. The Kazakhstan native is 17 years old and just played his first season with the London Knights in the OHL, scoring two goals and eight points in 44 games.

He’s not known for much offensive prowess, but became a draft riser for being good on his feet for his size and being a physical defender.

It feels very predictable of the Flyers’ recent picks. There is a heavy focus on size, and while management insisted last week that has been more coincidence than anything, the trend continued on night one of the draft.

Similarly, it’s also an upside pick that is more of a swing. Making that type of pick further emphasizes the Flyers’ willingness to be patient with prospects as things shift in their playoff outlook.

Additionally, trading down for Sokolovskii allowed the Flyers to add more picks. They get back into the second round and add a fourth-round pick after previously having just four picks in the draft. They also moved a sixth-round pick for a fifth-round pick earlier this week with Florida.

It’s a pick that, on the surface, doesn’t really move the needle, and without a Top 10-15 pick, the Flyers weren’t going to find much that ultimately did at present.

Day 2 of the NHL Draft takes place on Saturday starting at 11 AM.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.