Back in 2001, the Flyers originally had the 23rd pick of the Entry Draft. After the Sabres drafted Jiri Novotny with the 22nd pick, Philadelphia found themselves in position to draft one of four well-rated defensemen on the board: Tim Gleason, Lukas Krajicek, Jeff Woywitka, Mark Popovic, and Fedor Tyutin.
A few eyebrows were raised when the Flyers decided to trade down four spots, swapping the 23rd pick to Ottawa in exchange for the 27th pick and two lower-round picks. Now in possession of the 23rd pick, Ottawa nabbed Gleason. Krajicek went next to Florida at 24th. When Alexander Perezhogin went to Montreal and goaltender Jason Bacashiihua was taken by Dallas, the Flyers went for Woywitka.
If the Flyers had the draft to do all over again, they would have gone for Gleason. Woywitka, of course, hasn't really panned out as an NHL defensemen, while Krajicek's decision-making with and without the puck has often been suspect.
As a low-cost depth addition to the club, Krajicek is a good acquisition and I prefer him to Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. Krajicek can play well for several games at a time when he keeps his game simple. Over the long haul, though, he often gets exposed.
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My grandmother, Claire Rader, raised me, along with my mother. When I was growing up,
my first sports hero was Bobby Clarke. My mother would try to con me into eating foods I hated (especially liver) by telling me that "Bobby Clarke eats it". My grandma would tell her to leave me alone and make me something else. My grandma would also watch hockey games on television with me. She was convinced that every referee -- especially Bruce Hood and Dave Newell -- had it in for the Flyers, and the team never got a fair shake.
Fast forward 35 years. On Saturday morning, I stopped by Lankenau Hospital to visit my grandma. She had been hospitalized since Jan. 19 with bronchial pneumonia, congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Ever the battler even at age 96, she finally seemed to be on the mend and looked as close to her usual self as she had been since being hospitalized. The first question she asked me was whether I had a game to cover that day. I told her that I was going to leave shortly to cover the Flyers-Islanders game, but I wanted to see her first.
Sometime late Saturday night or early yesterday morning, my grandma lapsed into a coma. She passed away yesterday evening at 5:45 pm with my mother, uncle, sister and me at her bedside. Her physical suffering is over, but we will all miss her every day for the rest of our lives.
Thank you for everything, grandma. I love you.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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