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Philadelphia Flyers Trade Option: First Round Pick

By John Gove |

Philadelphia Flyers Trade Option: First Round Pick

Now hold on one second Flyers Nation; I am not crazy enough to suggest that the Philadelphia Flyers should trade away their 7th-overall pick in this year’s draft. The prospects that make up the 2015 draft class have way too much potential for Philadelphia to consider trading away the pick they earned by underperforming this past season. However, the Flyers acquired another first round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning when they traded away Braydon Coburn, and that pick could be used as a trade chip.

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Ron Hextall and the Philadelphia Flyers currently have twelve picks in what promises to be a very deep draft. Eight of those twelve draft picks are in the first four rounds, which means Philadelphia has the opportunity to strike gold more than once. Although these picks will assist the Flyers in obtaining a bright future in the NHL, it helps their current situation very little. Due to the abundance of draft picks they have, it would not harm the Flyers all that much if they were to trade away what will end up being either the 29th or 30th overall pick.

Several NHL franchises are without a first overall pick in a draft that promises to produce an abundance of talented players. The Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks make up the list of teams who may be interested in acquiring a first round pick. It would benefit Ron Hextall to at least pick up the phone and see what these teams would be willing to trade in exchange for the pick from the Lightning. The Flyers are in desperate need of wingers and one of these organizations might be able to help the orange and black out.

Apr 2, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Milan Lucic (17) skates with the puck in the second period ad at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Flyers should also reach out to the Boston Bruins and see if they can work out a deal for Milan Lucic that would involve the late-first round draft pick. Lucic would fit perfectly in Philadelphia and make their first line one of the best in the business. The Bruins may be trying to add a little more youth to their organization, which would increase interest in acquiring more draft picks.

As General Manager of the Flyers, Ron Hextall has demonstrated a commitment to making the Flyers a team of the future. All of the young talent he has acquired will put the Flyers in a position to be a very talented hockey team for a long time. However, a brighter immediate future does not seem as certain. The team is missing a few key pieces that may prevent them from making any sort of progress next season. If Hextall wants to guarantee that next season will be better than last season, he is going to need to acquire some help (especially at left wing). Making the pick from Tampa Bay available via trade will assist in doing so.

Next: Fan Poll: Trading Pick from Tampa Bay

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