Nolan Patrick is a Vegas Golden Knight four years after the Philadelphia Flyers selected the center with the 2nd overall pick in the 2017 Entry Draft. The Golden Knights executed what was essentially a delayed trade-up in the draft as they sent center Cody Glass to the Nashville Predators, who was the 6th overall pick in the 2017 draft. Are you excited yet? You should be.
Social media went wild just days before the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. News broke of a three-way trade between the Flyers, Golden Knights, and Predators. Defensemen Ryan Ellis and Philippe Meyers were moving teams, and somehow, both Patrick and Glass were heading off for a change of scenery.
On all sides of this trade, many fans were fired up on social media.
The most neutral of these seemed to be those out of the Predators camp, while fans of the Flyers passionately shared their own opinions.
On the other hand, Vegas fans seemed to be either distraught over losing the original golden boy in Glass, or excited to finally see him head off to another team. Many wanted him on a team that might develop his talents and better utilize his potential.
However, the most concerned were Vegas fans who were upset by the team’s acquisition of Patrick. Did the fan base want to see Glass succeed and reach the full potential he teased during his time in the Western Hockey League? Of course. Did the organization struggle to find a place for him over the four seasons he spent in the Vegas system? Yes, and that is why it was time to move on. The Golden Knights needed to find someone who could potentially become precisely what both the team and the fanbase wanted Glass to be.
Enter Nolan Patrick.
Is Patrick a sure thing? Of course not. We are talking hockey, after all. But is he a safe bet? More than you know.
While the organization has now sent off the first three drafted players in the team’s history (Glass, center Nick Suzuki, and defenseman Erik Brannstrom), they have also had excellent success with the players they have acquired. The Golden Knights have taken players who seem middle of the pack and watched them become steady performers. Forward Chandler Stephenson seemed to hit his stride once he joined the team in Vegas. In the same way, defenseman Alec Martinez‘s game came back to life after he got the call.
Like so many other Golden Knights, Patrick also spent his junior career with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. He had an impressive career with them, posting more than a point-per-game over his four-season career with the team. Averaging one point per three games at the NHL level, he has had a decent start to his career in the pros. Yes, during his third season, a migraine disorder held him out of the lineup. But fans should not let that deter them from being excited about everything this young center has to offer. A healthy Nolan Patrick will provide a significant boost at center and offer another level of play for an already powerhouse team.
If you are a Golden Knights fan, giving Patrick a chance to impress is the best thing you can do.
Share This Article
Support independent news coverage by sharing on your platforms
