Well, this offseason for the Flyers has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. It kicked off with a major trade involving Ivan Provorov that brought back a 2023 first round pick, pick number 22.
Since then there has been a lot of smoke being blown all over the internet about possible trades that the Flyers are engaged in.
- Travis Konecny has been name dropped with the Detroit Red Wings by Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
- Scott Laughton has been connected to the Senators among other teams by The Fourth Period.
- Tony DeAngelo looks to be headed back to Carolina per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.
- Travis Sanheim has been linked to both the Winnipeg Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs by both Friedman and The Fourth Period
- Kevin Hayes is on the St. Louis Blues now.
With that being said, a lot can happen between now and the NHL Draft on Thursday. As it stands right now the Flyers are holding on to this pick, but of they do end up with three or four first round picks in this draft, like some are reporting might happen, they absolutely could package them together to try to move up and grab one of the top players in this loaded draft class.
If they don’t move up and do keep number 22, they could go many different ways depending on who they end up taking with the seventh pick. Let’s go over all the scenarios and try to come to a conclusion on what the Flyers might do with this very fluid pick.
Scenario 1: The Flyers add to their blue line
When talking about the rebuilding process, Keith Jones has been adamant about building an “Advanced back end.” The Flyers do have one building block on the blue line in Cam York, but after him it really gets thin. Provorov is a Blue Jacket, Tony DeAngelo will be a Hurricane eventually, and Travis Sanheim might be gone before his July 1st contract with a full no trade clause kicks in. They have a hole and this draft might be the one to build off of. So which players might be available for the Flyers?
When looking at Bob McKenzie’s prospect rankings, there are four of defensemen in the 19 to 26 range that the Flyers will probably look at; however, there are really only two that I think the Flyers are going to seriously consider.
DMITRI SIMASHEV
(KHL)
Simashev is a HUGE body on the blue line. Standing at 6’4″ and weighing in at 200 pounds, the Russian prospect looks to be one of the next big defensemen in this league. Based on skill alone, some rankings have him in their top 10, going as high as the number eight prospect in this draft. He is a high quality skater with great speed and great defensive instincts. With a lot of the problems with the Flyers being a breakdown of defensive coverage, finding defensemen with the skills to be shutdown are a necessity for the Flyers.
The only knock on Simashev is that he’s currently in the KHL and under contract until the 2024-2025 season, so he wouldn’t come over right away. That doesn’t seem to be a problem for Daniel Brière and co. though as they have hinted that they might take a run at another Russian with a KHL contract in Matvei Michkov if he’s available at seven. If Simashev is on the board at 22, the Flyers might pounce.
TOM WILLANDER
(Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
The Flyers are thin on defense, and extremely thin on right shot defensemen. Even last season they had Cam York playing on his off-side on the right. With York likely returning to his natural left side, the Flyers will yet again be in the market for a right shot defensemen, a struggle for them to find after the retirement of Matt Niskanen. Erik Gustafsson, Rasmus Ristolainen, Ryan Ellis, and Tony DeAngelo have all been plugged in on the right side over the past three seasons to help find that first pair RHD with little to no success.
Willander might be the solution to their problems. Just like Simashev, Willander has some scouts and analysts putting him in their top 10, again going as high as number eight. A physical defenseman who had some success in Sweden will now be coming over to play college hockey for Boston University. Described as “a nightmare to play against” and with a high end motor and competitive nature, this seems like the type of player the Flyers usually go for. Willander seems like an easy pick at 22.
Scenario 2: The Flyers stock up on centers
With Kevin Hayes and Scott Laughton being shopped and most likely moved leaves holes on the offense at center. The Flyers are already heavily loaded on the left wing, and a little flexibility on the right, the center position is a necessity for the Flyers. There are two center prospects that the Flyers should look at with their pick at 22.
CALUM RITCHIE
(Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Ritchie is a big center standing at 6’2″ and weighing in at 187 pounds. He has been described to have excellent playmaking skills and a high hockey IQ/hockey sense that has been touted as his defining quality. With plenty of goal scorers now on the wings in Owen Tippet, Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, and Tyson Forester, Ritchie would be able to playmake for those snipers and create many high danger chances. He is also described as physical and will do what it takes to win a puck back. Coming from the OHL he might not need too much time in the AHL, but I doubt he would make the team year one.
BRADLY NADEAU
(Jack Murray/Penticton Vees)
Nadeau is a center with a smaller frame but has shot creation which is described as “downright terrifying to witness in person, but also awe-inspiring from a mechanical point of view.”
Playing with the Penticton Vees in the BCHL last season, Nadeau put up 113 points in 54 games, scoring 45 goals and tallying 68 assists. Nadeau will be playing in the NCAA next season for Maine, so he also won’t be an impact player right away. With Noah Cates, Morgan Frost, and Cutter Gauthier already in the system as Centers, Nadeau could slide in somewhere or even move to the wing where his 5’10” frame might work better, sort of like how Travis Konecny moved from center to wing.
This prospect would be more high ceiling/low floor gamble, but Brière did want to be aggressive trying to find studs in the draft.
Scenario 3: The Flyers trade up
This one depends on all the rumored moves that have yet to be made. If the Flyers do end up with three or four first round picks before the draft on Thursday, they could possibly package number seven and another pick to move up to take one of the big name centers this draft has.
With rumors coming out that after Bedard and Fantilli are taken one and two, the Blue Jackets have been showing major interest in Will Smith, could the Flyers create a package of picks that will entice the Sharks enough for the fourth overall pick? Leo Carlsson would still be on the table and he could be a major game changer for a franchise. We don’t know for sure but there’s always that possibly to trade up and go get a franchise player.
Verdict
With so much having yet happened, this pick really depends on all the following factors
- Who the Flyers take with the seventh pick
- Which of the rumored trades go through
- What players will be available at four through six and if the Flyers move up
If all these things have no impact and the Flyers do chose at 22, the pick should be Dmitri Simashev. Yes the hole on the right side of the defense is glaring, but having a left side of Cam York and Simashev could be dangerous. Plus, with the Flyers window, Simashev developing in the KHL and not burning contracts years might be perfect for when he eventually does come over and the Flyers start to contend. Having him at a cheaper price while spending money on other places to fill out the roster would be huge.
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