Sam Carchidi: Bob Clarke trying to deflect attention from Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher with his outburst on Hexy?

Bob Clarke confirmed the whispers that have been swirling around Philly ever since the Flyers drafted Nolan Patrick with the No. 2 overall selection in 2017 – that the team’s scouts wanted Cale Makar instead.

But what was so startling about Clarke’s statement Tuesday was that he said “none of our scouts” wanted Patrick.

Saying that no Flyers scouts would have chosen Patrick seems like a revisionist theory when you consider that most scouts around the league had either Patrick or Nico Hischier as the top overall prospect in 2017.

Clarke said Flyers scouts wanted Makar, who became the NHL’s rookie of the year for Colorado in 2019-2020, and last season was a Norris finalist as the league best defenseman. He currently the leads NHL defensemen with 16 goals.

Hextall took the high road when I contacted him Tuesday, saying he was “aware” of Clarke’s criticism but that he didn’t want to comment “at this time.”

He didn’t want to get into a pissing match with the greatest player in Flyers history, a man who steered the team to