As Director of Hockey Operations, Chris Pryor is the gateway between General Manager Paul Holmgren and a team of scouts, that have spent the previous year preparing for the 2009 NHL draft. And with the draft just days away, Pryor gives some information as to the team’s mindset heading to Montreal.
“We have an idea of who we’re looking at,” said Pryor, in an interview with Kevin Kurz. “And we hope one of those guys are there.”
The Flyers have made it clear that they have an accurate idea of who they want to take. A small group of prospects they hope are on the board at 21. But as both Pryor and Holmgren reiterated, it’s all about taking the best player available.
“If all things are equal, we might look more toward a defenseman,” said Pryor. “Since that position is more difficult to find. But typically, we take the best player available.”
The Flyers are planning to select at 21, but aren’t canceling out the notion of moving up or down. It has been public that Holmgren has been trying hard to make a deal that could jostle the team’s position.
“There are a lot of possibilities that could come up in the next few days,” said Pryor. “We don’t know what could happen. If those guys we target aren’t there, we talk about different scenarios. We want to be prepared for what comes up in different situations.”
Phila.Bright 