Nolan Patrick was a highly-touted prospect coming into the 2017 NHL Draft, expected by most to be the best player available.

His game felt complete, as his hockey sense and competitiveness stood out. It was a bit of a surprise when he fell to the Philadelphia Flyers, who held the second-overall pick, after the New Jersey Devils. Nico Hischier, a rookie center for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, came off the board first, leaving the Flyers with an easy choice in drafting Patrick.

The forward didn’t come without concerns, having played just 33 games for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings heading into his draft year. He still managed to score 20 goals and 46 points, despite dealing with a sports hernia.

A little over a week before the draft, Patrick underwent corrective surgery. The other side of his groin was repaired the previous summer.

There were rumors that the Flyers’ scouting department wasn’t high on Patrick and were looking at either Umass Minutemen defender Cale Makar or Finnish defender Miro Heiskanen.

Former general manager Ron Hextall ultimately selected Patrick instead..If he could do it again, would he make that same decision, knowing what we know now?

Nonetheless, Patrick was ready for the 2017-18 season, appearing in 73 games his first year and 72 games in his second. He combined for 26 goals and 61 points – not exactly shining numbers for a second-overall pick.

The word “bust” is often used when a player does not live up to expectations that were put on them at a young age.

Those players usually were high draft picks or had high pedigrees based on the success of those around them.

Nolan Patrick has been labeled as a bust.

Before his draft, there was a lot of hype about Patrick’s game and the fact that he was expected to be the top pick. Compare that to his career stats – 32 goals and 77 points in 222 games – and that second-overall pick might start to sound like a bust.

That is where the problem lies.

Too often, the term “bust” is used without looking at all of the potential factors. Patrick suffered numerous injuries throughout his career, even going back as far as before his time in junior hockey.

The migraine disorder, though, is the biggest of them all. The symptoms aren’t easily dealt with, and there is no cure. There is no clear answer for why the headaches popped up when they did. It remains uncertain if he will ever be able to play again.

That doesn’t sound like a player who didn’t live up to expectations. That sounds like a player who has had his entire career derailed because of a disorder that he has no control over. It sounds like someone who may not ever again play the game he loves thanks to the migraines that have plagued him for years.

That’s the harmful nature of using the word “bust” when it comes to players who have no control over why they aren’t able to produce.

Take Jesperi Kotkaniemi, for example.

The forward did not have control over playing for Montreal Canadiens just three months after he was drafted third overall in 2018. Kotkaniemi admitted in an interview with The Hockey News that in hindsight, he probably would’ve been better off going back to Finland. In the same interview, Kotkaniemi mentioned that the Montreal media could get into one’s head fast when reading it all.

That negative attention creates a feedback loop – a player is not in a position to succeed, gets negative attention for not succeeding, which keeps him from mentally being in a position to succeed.

Since signing an offer sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021, Kotkaniemi has thrived in a new environment.

A more recent example is David Reinbacher, drafted by the Canadiens with the fifth overall selection in June.

the The word bust wasn’t specifically used, but the expectations of the players still available when he was drafted resulted in pushback that was ultimately the same. The selection was heavily criticized to the point of Reinbacher receiving death threats, leading to the team considering not bringing him to development camp due to the backlash.

A group of fans came together to show support for Reinbacher, making him a book of their kind words.

So why hasn’t Patrick received similar support? It’s easy to look back years later and say that a player never should’ve been taken or that a different player was the better option.

Hindsight is 20/20 and in this case, calling Patrick a bust is the problem.