What If? The Second part of the Series: Moving on From Players to Soon.
PUBLICATION
Frankie
August 19, 2022 (8:37 PM)
On this edition of "What if?" The focus will now be on a player who was drafted by the Flyers, traded to Carolina, moved on to the LA and had a Hall of Fame career. Shout out to the Orange and Black for giving up on another player. None other than Justin Williams.
Justin Williams was drafted in the first round, 28th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. In four seasons played with the Flyers, Williams struggled to live up to expectations, as he tried to adapt to the varying systems of three separate coaches � Craig Ramsay (2000), Bill Barber (2000�2002) and Ken Hitchcock (2002�2006). As you can see, the coaching position here in Philadelphia just did not lasty to long, no more than 4 seasons to be exact.
Williams was also frequently injured, which simultaneously hampered his development. From a broken hand in his rookie season, a lower leg injury he suffered from a Tampa Bay's Brad Lukowich. The hit tore Williams' anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL), and, on January 23, 2003, he had surgery to repair the ligaments.
Originally projected to miss four to eight months recovering from the injury. Williams made it back into Philadelphia's line-up in just three months. Tough.
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Injuries is what seemed to doom William's career here in Philadelphia as they traded him away to Carolina for Danny Markov.
Williams signed a one-year contract with the Hurricanes for the 2005�06 season, when he set career-highs in games played (82), goals (31), assists (45), points (76) and penalty minutes (60). In the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
Williams scored the final goal of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, an empty net goal at 18:59 of the third period of Game 7. With the score 2�1, a loose puck along the boards ended up on the stick of Bret Hedican, who passed it to Eric Staal. Seeing Williams open, Staal threw the puck down the ice to him. Williams skated down the ice and tapped the puck into the open net, sealing the Hurricanes' first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Hurricanes won the series 4�3.
On February 28, 2011, Williams signed a new four-year, $14.6 million contract with Los Angeles. He scored 15 points in the 2012 playoffs, helping the Kings win their first Stanley Cup.
Williams won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2014 playoffs, where he won his third Stanley Cup and second with the Kings. He scored 9 goals and 15 assists during the playoffs, including the game-winning goal in Game 1 the Finals against the New York Rangers, and the Kings' first in the 3�2 comeback in Game 5 to win the Cup. Williams also had points in all three Game 7 matches the Kings had en route to the Finals.
Thayt being said, since the Flyers had moved om from Justin Williams, he has won 3 Stanley Cups, nicknamed Mr. Game 7, a Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and a Hall of Fame career.
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