A major trade fell through in Montreal between the Arizona Coyotes and the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2022 draft

Among the pleasant surprises among rookies this year, forward is impressing with the Arizona Coyotes. He was initially set to continue his university program in the NCAA but ultimately changed his mind to join the NHL.

Drafted 3rd overall in 2022 by the Coyotes, Cooley came very close to ending up with the Flyers in Montreal. According to his account, the Flyers tried to move up in the draft, but it fell through at the last minute.

"I had very good meetings with Arizona. I thought I would go in the third round if no one picked me before. However, I met with the Flyers about 20 minutes before the draft, and I believe they were trying to complete a trade. So, I didn't exactly know what was going to happen."

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This could have changed the face of the franchise, which had to settle for Cutter Gauthier. It's too early to determine who will be the better player, especially as Gauthier is still playing in the NCAA. But as of today, Cooley is the best forward from this draft, even ahead of , who is expected to develop further.