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November 20 , 2007
The 2003 NHL Entry draft has been very good to the Philadelphia Flyers.
That year, the Flyers had two first round selections and received heavy praise for their picks in that first round - Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. Three other players from that draft have also seen time with the Flyers - forwards Stefan Ruzika and Ryan Potulny, as well as defenseman Alexander Picard.
But it has been the two first rounders - Carter and Richards - that have garnered most of the attention for the Flyers since that draft day. The duo made quite the first impression in Philadelphia, joining the Phantoms for the Calder Cup run in 2005. Each averaged more than a point a game en route to the Phantoms sweeping their way to the Calder Cup championship in a season that saw the NHL lock-out and no Stanley Cup.
Many scouts and pundits touted Carter as a can't-miss, surefire NHL offensive stud, while Richards was always considered more a leader-type with solid all around skills.
Both enjoyed solid rookie seasons with the Flyers in the 2005-06 season, and expectations for the young players was sky-high for their sophomore campaign.
Needless to say, things did not go as planned for Richards, Carter or the Flyers last season.
Both players lost significant time due to injuries; Carter to a leg injury and Richards to a separated shoulder and surgery to repair a sports hernia.
Neither played particularly well as the Flyers plummeted to their worst season in franchise history.
The entire roster was evaluated, and a lot of emphasis was placed by the Flyers brass on the development of their young talent, particularly the development of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter.
The development of Carter and Richards began to diverge in training camp this year. Mike Richards' offensive talent began to blossom and catch up to his already strongly developed defensive and leadership skills.
He was named an assistant captain at the start of the season, and at only 22 years old has become one of the leaders of a team that barely knew each other at the start of the season. He leads the team in scoring and consistently has played against the opponent's best center.
Richards has even dropped the gloves on occasion to show he isn't afraid to stand up for himself or his teammates.
Jeff Carter, while still showing flashes of offensive brilliance, has yet to develop the consistency that Richards has. He has made costly turnovers and been guilty of more than occasional mental faux pas. Even with his inconsistent play, he's second on the squad in goals with seven, and his upside is still tremendous.
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Still, with his inconsistent play, rumors have surfaced that Carter could become trade bait this season. Just in the past few days the Flyers and Vancouver Canucks denied rumors they were working on a deal that would have involved Carter.
On the other end of the spectrum, the development of Mike Richards as a leader on both ends of the ice and in the locker room has been instrumental to the Flyers strong start. There is little doubt that Richards should be a Flyer for a long time to come, and in the not-so-distant-future, expect him to sport the big "C" as captain for his squad.
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