There is now under a week left until draft day on June 28, meaning that the Philadelphia Flyers only have so much time to maximize their trading window. Fancying himself as a rebuilder, general manager (GM) Danny Briere will probably want more chances at selecting high-end players in the 2024 NHL Draft aside from his 12th overall pick. Let’s mock some trades.
In the four mock trades below, the only condition is that the Flyers cannot give up their 12th selection. It would be a bit counterintuitive for them to give up such an important selection in this draft, so it stays. Without further ado, how can the Flyers turn some heads in Las Vegas?
Flyers-Senators Rumors Lead to Something Big
The Flyers and Ottawa Senators have been in some trade rumors, and that’s about all we know. Whether the Flyers want to add a player of theirs, a draft pick, or both parties have no interest at all, everything is a mystery. Rumors and speculation aside, there could be a path to the Flyers getting their seventh overall pick without having to give up their 12th selection. It would be expensive, but there is some incentive for both parties:
Philadelphia acquires seventh overall pick; Ottawa acquires Joel Farabee, 2024 first-round pick (via Florida Panthers), 2025 second-round pick (via Anaheim Ducks), 2025 fourth-round pick
Up until the All-Star Break passed, Joel Farabee looked like a 70-point player for the Flyers despite playing middle-six minutes—the 24-year-old finished with 50 by season’s end. He could be a real benefit to the Senators at even strength at both ends of the ice, which is something that could help make them a playoff team in 2024-25 if they are aggressive enough. At a $5 million cap hit through the 2027-28 season, they would be making their depth at left wing pretty solid. Getting some sizable draft capital on top of that seems like a fair return for their seventh selection. Ottawa, having missed the playoffs every season since 2017, does not have time on their side—they might be pressured into making a move.
While Farabee was a good player for the Flyers, being able to land the seventh overall pick without having to give up their 12th selection will not be easy, in theory. Since they are in a rebuild, acquiring high-end draft selections should probably be their first order of business. Instead of taking a gamble with multiple picks, there can be some assurance that they are getting a phenomenal prospect. In this instance, they absolutely are.
Philadelphia selects: Zeev Buium
While the Flyers probably shouldn’t be making a left-handed defenseman a priority for them entering the draft, when a talent like Zeev Buium is on the board, you don’t really have a choice. He isn’t massive by any stretch of the imagination at 6-foot-0 and 183 pounds, but his upside is undeniable—he could be a force in the NHL.
In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in his draft year, Buium scored 11 goals and 39 assists for 50 points in 42 games. For the United States in their U20 World Junior Championship, he scored three goals and two assists for five points in seven games as the youngest player in the tournament for his club—he also captured a gold medal. He is already so accomplished and has a ton of potential with both his on-ice smarts and offensive upside.
Flyers, Sabres Combine for Draft-Day Shocker
The Buffalo Sabres would be an intriguing trade partner for the Flyers. They have expressed that they are willing to shop their first-round pick, and it makes sense why. They have a lot of great young players in their system and on the roster, but they could use a veteran to finally get them over the hump so they can make the postseason for the first time since 2011. GM Kevyn Adams might be feeling the pressure, so he makes the following deal:
Philadelphia acquires 11th overall pick; Buffalo acquires Travis Konecny (extended to $8.5 million cap-hit contract over eight years on July 1)
Moving Travis Konecny would come with a ton of backlash on the Flyers’ part, but it’s something that they should be doing anyway. If they are in a rebuild like Briere has insisted they are, this is the 27-year-old forward’s fate—there are very few, if not zero, examples of an openly rebuilding team giving out an eight-year contract to a non-superstar player. Konecny only has so many prime years left considering his style of play (it does not tend to age well over many seasons), so they’d probably be better spent on a Sabres team nearing contention than a Flyers team very far outside it. In that sense, this deal seems like a no-brainer for the Orange and Black.
Related: Flyers Cannot Give Travis Konecny a Long-Term Extension
Konecny scored 68 points for the Flyers in 2023-24 with nearly 20 minutes of average ice time. With a reduced workload and perhaps on the Sabres’ second line, he can put up similar numbers and not be overworked like he was for Philadelphia—he regressed toward the end of the season, scoring just 14 points in his last 19 games of the regular season. This has been a recurring struggle for him throughout his NHL career, combining that with some pretty ugly postseason numbers. If he can get a little bit of pressure off of him and ease into a lineup where he doesn’t have to be the best player, he might be able to take the next step. The Sabres should probably invite an instant-impact player, too.
Philadelphia selects: Berkly Catton
The Flyers get a home run in this instance by selecting center Berkly Catton out of the Western Hockey League (WHL). An intelligent and offensively gifted player, he is the type of talent that the Orange and Black should be looking for. He led the league in goals (54), was tied for first in assists (62), and was first in points (116) among draft-eligible players.
Although Konecny is a great player, Catton has the potential to be even better in his prime. Just for some context, the former scored 68 points in 60 games in his draft season in 2014-15 in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)—these two were on a different level as prospects. There’s a lot to like about Catton, and the Flyers would be getting a steal at 11th overall, even if he’s undersized at 5-foot-11, 163 pounds.
Flyers’ Aggressiveness Meets Wild’s Savviness
The Minnesota Wild could be an intriguing trade partner for the Flyers. They missed the playoffs last season, but they have both pieces and a ton of cap space in 2025-26 and beyond to build a contender. In this trade, they start doing so a little bit early.
Philadelphia acquires 13th overall pick; Minnesota acquires Farabee, 2026 second-round pick
The Flyers would be giving up a lighter package here than for the seventh pick, for example, but it’s definitely still a lot to land the 13th overall pick. If anyone, the Wild actually look like the bandits even if both teams are getting what they need. Minnesota gets a middle-six roster player with top-six potential and who doesn’t need high-end usage on the power play to score along with a second-round pick, while Philadelphia is loading up their prospect core.
If you just look at the mock trades, the Flyers could actually do the Sabres and Wild trade in the same draft whilst hanging onto their 12th pick, which is a pretty exciting thing to consider. This might all be for fun, but there is legitimately a world where the Flyers can be the kings of this draft. Minnesota hasn’t exactly expressed that they want to give up their pick, but this return for them seems too good to pass up. With a loaded prospect pool already, they try to take the next step and gladly help the Orange and Black in their rebuilding efforts.
Philadelphia selects: Konsta Helenius
With the 13th pick, the Flyers should be running up to the podium to select center Konsta Helenius. I won’t bore you with the details since I have already gone into why he would be such an amazing fit in Philadelphia, but it’s important to recognize just how good Helenius could be. His upside in their system and the fact that he plays a position of need seems to be far too important to let slip away.
Flyers Take a Gamble on Upside
The Colorado Avalanche have now won just eight playoff games since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022, which led to them getting the 24th pick in this class. Instead of using it, they bank off of their postseason misfortune and get some nice value back in a trade with the Flyers:
Philadelphia acquires 24th overall pick, 2026 fourth-round pick; Colorado acquires 2024 first-round pick (via Florida), 2025 second-round pick
The Avalanche are a contender, but getting value in the draft is always something to search out. Perhaps they have their eyes on a player who they’d be okay with trading back for—getting an extra second-round pick while only giving up a fourth is a sweet deal. As for the Flyers, though, they’d have one last shot to land a high-end player in the first round. Seeing as most of the elite prospect talent in the class should be gone by the early teens, this is higher gamble territory but it could pay huge dividends.
Philadelphia selects: Aron Kiviharju
Never say never, but I’m willing to bet that left-handed defenseman Aron Kiviharju is already off the board by the time the Flyers select with their first-round choice via the Florida Panthers, which will be one of the last two selections of the first round. Kiviharju didn’t play much at all in his draft year due to injury, but his talent suggests that he can be a high-upside top-four defenseman at the NHL level. He’s only 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds but has great edge work, a very promising hockey IQ, and some phenomenal vision. There’s an upside here that the Flyers really have no good excuse not to take a chance on. Talent like this doesn’t fall this far, so this deal makes sense for them.
Not everyone is crazy about trading roster players on the Flyers, but the fact of the matter is that they are in a rebuild. If you’re not making it a priority to land young players who might soar at the NHL level, you were never rebuilding in the first place. If the Orange and Black are serious about the process, they should desperately be trying to double down in this draft class. If Briere and his team aren’t making an attempt, it is more than fair to question the validity of their words. The future could be even brighter in Philadelphia if they make it a priority to trade up.
