After two and a half long months without Philadelphia Flyers hockey, quite possibly the most exciting day of the season is upon us. It’s draft day, and the Orange and Black hold the 12th overall pick in an incredible 2024 class.
What can we expect from the Flyers and general manager (GM) Danny Briere tonight? Do they make a splash, or do they stand pat? Let’s speculate before the big night arrives.
Don’t Be Surprised to See a Trade-up
He hadn’t really shown signs of it before, given the fact that he hasn’t made a trade since the deadline, but Briere has been in some serious trade rumors leading up to the draft. His reported aggressiveness says a lot about how he views this class: it’s pivotal for the Flyers’ future success.
With the Flyers needing talent to surround Matvei Michkov with both next season and for the long-term future, there was, in theory, pressure for them to move up from their 12th pick. Pierre LeBrun of TSN confirmed that on June 27 with a pretty noteworthy report.
“The Flyers made a pretty aggressive pitch to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday, offering a swap of first-round picks, also a roster player, plus perhaps next year’s first-round pick, all apart of a package to try to get the fourth-overall pick from the Blue Jackets. I believe the answer was no, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try again,” LeBrun said.
On the morning of draft day, Elliotte Friedman of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast weighed in on the matter. “Columbus wanted something big. The [12th overall pick], which would have to be included because that’s Philly’s current pick, Philly has the 32nd pick, and potentially [the Flyers’ 2025 first-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche],” he said. “What I heard is that was too much for Philly, but the two teams were expected to speak again today, Friday,” Friedman followed with, but also stating that he thinks other teams are inquiring about the Blue Jackets’ pick.
While this trade didn’t go through, it is evident that there was some interest in moving up on the Flyers’ side to perhaps land a high-end talent like winger Ivan Demidov, center Cayden Lindstrom, or even defenseman Zeev Buium. Where they sit at 12th overall should be good enough to take a star-level prospect, but getting that next tier of player could be valuable for them.
Even if a big deal does not occur, we know that Briere wasn’t content just sitting around. He understands the importance of this draft class more than anyone and is willing to be as aggressive as possible to make things happen. Perhaps he might not go for the fourth-overall pick, but he could look to move up somewhere else.
Flyers Take the Best Player Available
The Flyers have a positional need throughout their offensive lineup, and that’s especially true now that Michkov is in Philadelphia. All the talk has been about forwards, but they very well could take a defenseman if one of the best of the class ends up slipping. Whether it be a forward or a defenseman, do not be surprised to see the Flyers take, objectively, the best player on the draft board.
While the Flyers don’t have as big of a need on defense as they do on offense, if players like Zayne Parekh and Sam Dickinson fall to them at their 12th pick, do not expect them to look the other way. The fact that they are in a rebuild has not changed, meaning that they could use talent anywhere in the lineup.
Briere has openly stated that he has a best-player-available philosophy, so he will likely stay true to that. He did that in the past with Michkov at seventh overall in 2023, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him do it again.
There has been speculation contradicting that sentiment, as the Flyers reportedly like Stian Solberg. But, really, that just seems like a classic Briere smoke screen to hide what he is actually thinking. With the 12th pick, Solberg wouldn’t be the best player available, so the Orange and Black won’t take him there—that’s really all it boils down to. No matter the position, Philadelphia very likely is not going to reach for a player they like.
Flyers Could Acquire a Second Early First-Round Pick
If it’s not a trade-up that the Flyers desire and they want to address multiple positions with star prospects, then trading for an additional early first-round pick seems like a good plan. Since Philadelphia is in a rebuild, there might be a desire to ship off some of their veterans to get some more action on this loaded class—there’s a chance that it might work.
This is purely speculation, but players like Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, and Scott Laughton don’t seem to fit the Flyers’ rebuilding timeline as well as a star prospect from this class. Philadelphia, trying to be as competitive as possible in the future, understands how good this draft class is. What they also understand is that, a little bit under a decade from now, Michkov will likely be in his prime—Konecny, Farabee, and Laughton will not. Adding as many young players as possible makes too much sense for the Flyers not to do, so they might part ways with one of their more experienced assets to do it.
Related: Flyers Cannot Give Travis Konecny a Long-Term Extension
As for what pick the Flyers would be acquiring, anywhere from seventh to 14th makes sense. The best players of the class should still be on the board in that range, and it gives the Orange and Black a chance to explore their options. It would certainly be ideal if the Flyers could get a major prospect on top of their 12th overall pick, that way Michkov could have all of the talent in the world around him for when the team is actually ready to compete for a championship. There would be less pressure to acquire a top-notch prospect in the future if that were the case, so getting it all out of the way now could save the team a lot of stress.
Flyers Don’t Stand Pat at 32nd Overall
If the Flyers aren’t completely content sitting at 12th overall, then they probably aren’t at 32nd overall, either. There are some good, overlooked youngsters who could slip through the cracks and find their way to the Orange and Black. At the same time, though, they could be missing out on some pieces in the 20s that might not be available to them without a trade. Igor Chernyshov, Michael Hage, Teddy Stiga, and Solberg could all be players who aren’t accessible for Philadelphia by the time they are picked 32nd.
If the Flyers like these four players—which they probably do in some capacity—then they’d want to make a move to get them. Instead of letting other teams control their fate, they might want to take control of their own. A trade-up could be in order even by the time the biggest names are all gone, and it might not cost a lot to do.
How important this draft class is for the Flyers cannot be understated. It could change the outlook of their rebuild in a very positive direction if they are active enough. Could they be big winners of the draft in back-to-back years?