The Flyers don’t have any major free agents who they need to retain or are worried about jumping ship. Barring trades and acquiring free agents, most of the Flyers roster is set. So, what do the Flyers need? What holes can they fill in the upcoming draft in a few weeks?
To start, let’s take a look at the Flyers projected roster as it currently stands. Obviously things could change depending on who re-signs.
Center: Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes, Morgan Frost, Patrick Brown
Left Wing: Joel Farabee, Scott Laughton, James van Riemsdyk, Oskar Lindblom
Right Wing: Cam Atkinson, Travis Konecny, Owen Tipett, Zack MacEwen, Noah Cates, Bobby Brink
Defense: Ivan Provorov, Ryan Ellis, Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, Cam York, Ronnie Attard, Nick Seeler, Igor Zamula, Kevin Connauton
Goalie: Carter Hart, Igor Fedotov
It’s also expected the prospects like Elliott Desnoyers, Wade Allison, and Tyson Foerster could push for a starting role.
The Flyers have six picks this year after trading away their second round pick in this draft in last year’s Shayne Gostisbehere trade. So, where do the Flyers need help?
There is one spot that the Flyers do not need to spend their first round pick on: goalie. Carter Hart is locked and loaded in that position. It is unclear if the Flyers will re-sign Martin Jones as Hart’s backup, if they will call up Fedotov, or if they will sign a veteran netminder from the free agent ranks. Either way, goalie is not a high priority for the first few rounds. A goalie pick in the bottom three picks might not be a bad idea. You can never have too many goalie prospects in the farm system.
Likewise, you can never have too many defenders ready to go either. Since 2013, the Flyers have used seven of their 21 first and second round picks on defense and the results are mixed. Sam Morin had to retire due to injuries. Robert Hagg is gone. Sanheim and Provorov are ok, but not shut down defenders by any means. York has had some NHL experience. Adam Ginning and Emil Andrew are still in the Swedish leagues.
If they fall to the fifth spot, perhaps looking at Simon Nemec (SLO), Elias Salomonsson (SWE), David Jiricek (CZE), Pavel Mintyukov(RUS), or Kevin Korchinski (CAN) could be a strong option for the Flyers.
When looking at forwards, the Flyers have a lot of young guys they are waiting for to have their “breakout” season. Farabee seems like he is already there. Can Tippett, Cates, Frost and Lindblom join them? Can a young player like Allison or Desonyers contribute yet? After Couturier and Hayes, are they really that strong down the center? Outside of Atkinson and Konecny, do they have a legit sniper on the wing? Maybe a solid, speedy, sniping forward or a strong presence at center is what they need.
If that is not the case, who can the Flyers pick with the fifth overall pick? Most likely Shane Wright and Logan Cooley will be gone. If Cutter Gauthier, Matthew Savoie, or Conor Geekie somehow slip that far and they want to go with a winger or center, these are some guys to grab. If all of these guys are gone, and you still don’t want a defender, Isaac Howard, Owen Beck, or Luca Del Bel Belluz could be worth a look at.
Again, all this could change if the Flyers make some trades, add some free agents, or move up or down in the draft. Needs change as situations change. Most likely, these picks won’t be an impact player this season, but in a year or two who knows? But the Flyers can’t afford to make another bad pick. Chuck Fletcher needs to get this one right.