Insider Explains Latest on Nolan Patrick's Rumored "Retirement"

The news was surprising, though at the same time, not so much, when word dropped a couple of days ago that the former No. 2 overall pick in the NHL Draft, Nolan Patrick, had retired. After all, the 25-year-old hadn't played due to health issues since the 2021-22 season.

It all stemmed from a social media post this week from The Power Play mentorship program that Patrick was working for them and was "a retired pro". But not so fast. Insider Elliotte Friedman reached Patrick this week and discovered that he actually hasn't officially hung up the skates:

I texted him and I asked if I could take to him about his career, and how he's doing, and he wrote back and said, 'look, I haven't announced my retirement, I haven't decided anything. I just prefer not to talk right now.'

Friedman added that "he's really private, he's a quiet guy."

At 25, it's safe to say that he is certainly too young to file his retirement papers, and perhaps if he can recover from the health issues he's battled, he could someday try to return, posited Friedman.

Patrick was a phenom in junior hockey in the Western Hockey League, notching 40 goals and 102 points in the 2015-16 season in 72 games, and completely dominating the playoffs with 13 goals and 30 points in 21 games. 

But after the Philadelphia Flyers made him the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, things just never panned out as he managed just 13 goals and around 30 points in each of his first two seasons. He was then plagued by a migraine disorder that knocked him out of the 2019-20 season completely, and then played parts of two more seasons before moving away from the game.

It's a sad story for a once elite prospect. But as of now, no official retirement for Nolan Patrick. 

Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports