On Friday night, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere will lead a group of team executives to the sport’s second-biggest podium (right behind the one the Stanley Cup is placed on). Then, he’ll do it again. And again.
The Flyers have three first-round picks in this year’s draft, just as they did in the first two drafts of Briere’s tenure. Granted, last year they only made one, trading the 32nd-overall pick to the Edmonton Oilers for their first-round pick this year, which we now know is a whopping one spot higher. Still, Briere has succeeded in the first part of his rebuilding plan, accumulating a healthy amount of draft capital that will turn into young talent in a few days. And the Flyers did get some fortune in their positioning with the Colorado Avalanche’s first-round exit, slotting their pick (acquired last year in exchange for Sean Walker) at 22nd overall.
However, the fun doesn’t stop there. The Flyers have even more ammo in the second round, entering the week with a whopping four picks, all of which are in the first half of the round. None of those picks were the headline assets moved in their respective deals — the Flyers have the Anaheim Ducks’ pick from the Cutter Gauthier-Jamie Drysdale swap, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ selection as part of the Ivan Provorov trade, and the Calgary Flames’ choice from the Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost deal. The Columbus second was sent out in Monday’s Trevor Zegras trade, but that shows another plus of having so many picks in the first place.
After the trade, the Flyers still have 10 picks — the aforementioned seven plus their original third, fifth, and seventh-round picks, as well as the Carolina Hurricanes’ fifth from a 2023 swap of David Kase and Massimo Rizzo shortly after Tony DeAngelo was bought out and re-signed in Raleigh. Their fourth was sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Scott Laughton deal, and their seventh was a part of the Andrei Kuzmenko deal, both of which brought back more favorable selections. Before those picks become prospects, let’s revisit history to see how sizable the Flyers’ treasure chest of draft choices is.
Comparing to Flyers History
Starting from the top, making three first-round picks in one draft has only happened once in the first 58 NHL Amateur or Entry Drafts the team has participated in. The only previous occasion was in 1978. Picks number six (defenseman Behn Wilson) and seven (forward Ken Linsman) panned out pretty well, combining for nearly 1,500 NHL games and playing key roles on the 1979-80 team that reached the Stanley Cup Final. The 14th-pick (forward Dan Lucas) managed just six NHL games, although he did at least light the lamp once.
Unsurprisingly, given Philadelphia’s aggressive pursuit of winning until recently, the Flyers have rarely had their cupboard stacked with high picks. The Flyers average 0.93 picks per season, failing to make a selection in the opening round 13 times, most recently in 2021. Incredibly, second-round picks have been even more scarce, with the Flyers averaging just 0.91 per year. A Round 2 plague from 1999 to 2011 is largely to blame, as the Flyers made just four second-round picks in the 13 years, three of which came in the same year (2006).
Danny Briere, Philadelphia Flyers General Manager (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
That 2006 haul did tie a franchise record set in 1984 and replicated in 1990, then hit again in 2016. The 2006 Draft was a flop, with two of the three picks never reaching the NHL and the other (forward Andreas Nodl) topping out as a depth option. The older drafts were better; Scott Mellanby headlined the 1984 class, and the Legion of Doom got its origins in 1990 when Mikael Renberg was drafted, with longtime enforcer Chris Simon also in that class. Unfortunate circumstances marred the 2016 class. 36th-overall pick Pascal Laberge was never the same after receiving a dirty hit in his draft-plus-one season. While 48th-overall pick Carter Hart was a hit from a talent perspective, his career is in jeopardy as one of the five 2018 Canadian World Junior players charged with sexual assault.
Overall, the Flyers have averaged just over nine draft picks each year. Like with other older teams, there’s some inflation here, as the draft used to go 12 rounds but has trimmed down over the years. Since 2005, it’s been at the current total of seven rounds, and, fittingly, the Flyers average exactly seven picks per draft when only looking at the first seven rounds. Apologies to true late-round Flyers gems like Gord Murphy (ninth-round pick in 1985) and Pete Peeters (eighth-round pick in 1977), but the latter figure is more fair to judge things off of.
Comparing to the Recent League Landscape
Only three franchises have made multiple first-round picks in 2023 and 2024. The San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks will both extend their streaks this year, barring trades; Chicago’s streak dates back to 2022 and included a three-player haul a year ago. The Arizona Coyotes/Utah Hockey Club made multiple first-rounders the last two years and got more good fortune this year when their only pick hit the lottery, rocketing to fourth overall.
The Flyers are set to be the fourth team in the last three years to make three first-round picks in one year. The Nashville Predators will beat them to the punch this year as they hold selections fifth, 23rd (from the Tampa Bay Lightning via the Tanner Jeannot trade), and 26th (originally from the Vegas Golden Knights but acquired from the Sharks for Yaroslav Askarov) overall picks. The Chicago Blackhawks also had three picks last year (second, 18th, and 27th overall), as did the St. Louis Blues (10th, 25th, and 29th overall).
Using PuckPedia’s draft pick value calculator, the Flyers’ trio of first-round picks is the third most valuable of that group, leading only the 2023 Blues first-round class. However, none of those teams’ cupboards were as deep as Philadelphia’s. This year’s Predators do have two second-round picks (35th and 55th overall, the latter also from the Jeannot deal), but the 2024 Blackhawks and 2023 Blues didn’t have any. When you factor in the top two rounds in draft pick value, the Flyers come out much better.
Round 1 Pick ValueRound 2 Pick ValueRound 1 + 2 Pick Value2025 Flyers73.7121.39395.1032025 Predators79.913.2993.192024 Blackhawks106.740106.742023 Blues60.6060.6Here’s another way of putting it: the Flyers’ four second-round picks have approximately as much value as the 13th-overall pick, which has a value of 28.14 (held by the Detroit Red Wings). While Steve Yzerman probably isn’t taking that phone call to move back, it illustrates the wealth of opportunity in front of the Flyers.
What Will Briere Do?
Of course, one of the reasons there aren’t more teams with a comparable gaudy volume of draft picks is that the few teams that do accumulate that many selections rarely make all of them. However, when Briere and assistant general manager Brent Flahr met with the media on June 17, Briere far from ruled out the possibility.
“Absolutely!” Briere exclaimed when asked if he’d consider using all seven picks. “Yeah, especially this year. After spending a lot of time with their guys there’s a lot of players that our guys like in that window after 22 through 48 so there’s actually a really good chance that we keep the picks and we really build around those guys.”
Related: Revisiting Flyers’ Drafts with Multiple 1st-Round Picks
We now know he isn’t going to use all seven, at least barring another trade to bring in an extra pick, which feels unlikely. But Briere also acknowledged that his phone might be busier this year as other teams look to trade up or down to maneuver the board, which has already allowed the team to address some of its glaring holes down the middle. Either way, Briere and the Flyers are in a unique power position, giving them a special opportunity to right the wrongs of the last few years.
