Should the Philadelphia Flyers Look To Move Their 11th Overall Pick?

With a plethora of young prospects currently in their pipeline, should Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Chuck Fletcher look to package the 11th overall pick in a potential trade?

After hiring longtime NHL coach Alain Vigneault to fill their Head Coaching vacancy, the Philadelphia Flyers couldn’t have made it more clear that they’re ready to win now. Vigneault stated in his introductory press conference that he was looking for an “opportunity in the short term to win a Stanley Cup” and went on to say that “Philadelphia checked that box”.

General Manager Chuck Fletcher wouldn’t have hired Vigneault if he didn’t feel the same way and has expressed where he wants the team to improve in the offseason. He also stated that the 2019 Free Agent class isn’t an elite one, so he’ll have to make some deals in order to improve the roster if he genuinely isn’t a fan of the upcoming free agents. With all of this said, should Fletcher look to move the Flyers First Round, 11th overall pick when the league-wide offseason officially starts?

Philadelphia currently has a farm system full of depth, so departing with their first-round selection as part of a package for a player who can help the team now seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, not quite. While they have a lot of promising prospects in their system, the Flyers don’t have a whole lot of top-end talent. Sure, guys like Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, and Isaac Ratcliffe have bright NHL futures, but zero of them are on the level of a Filip Zadina or Eeli Tolvanen. Keeping the 11th pick would allow them to get a guy around that level, like a Cole Caufield, Matthew Boldy, or Peyton Krebs. It would take a couple of years for them to be NHL ready, though, and wouldn’t necessarily help Philadelphia win any sooner.

A pick just outside of the Top-10 possesses good value around the league, especially for a team looking to rebuild.  Fletcher could bundle the selection with a middle-level prospect or two, and a few more draft picks for an excellent return. There aren’t a whole lot of players out there who are clearly on the trading block, either. Of course, we never know what’s truly on the market, and things can always change between now and June 21st.

Given what’s known at the time this article was written, I would like to see Fletcher keep the pick. The Flyers are going to get their hands on an outstanding prospect, and nothing on the trade front seems to match the value Philadelphia will get when they’re on the clock.