May 5th, 2025, proved to be an utterly disappointing day for fans of the Philadelphia Flyers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the orange and black fell from their most statistically likely scenario of picking 5th overall in this year's draft to 6th.
As if the "rebuild" wasn't appearing bleak enough following the abysmal results of the 2024-25 season, Philly will see the coveted Michael Misa and Matthew Schaeffer don another team's colors next year. To the shock of many, the New York Islanders were gifted the 1st overall pick with a mere 3.5% of landing it.
Now that the Flyers faithful have had several weeks to wallow in disappointment and named a head coach with a favorable reputation in Rick Tocchet, let's assess some 6th overall picks that have impressed at the NHL level over the past decade.
Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary Flames - 2016)
Tkachuk- need I say more? Matthew was a standout during the first six years of his career with the Calgary Flames (431 GP, 152 G, 230 A). He lived up to his reputation of being an agitator who could throw his body around but also put the puck in the net. Just as many have said, he's the player everyone wants to play with, not against.
Once Tkachuk took his talents to Florida from Alberta in 2022, he continued to be a fan favorite and point scorer. In three seasons played with the Panthers thus far, he has been just as impressive (211 GP, 88 G, 166 A). Oh, and he won the Stanley Cup in 2024. Sounds like the type of player the Flyers would love to incorporate into their young, developing core, that's for sure.
Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings - 2019)
Winning the Calder Trophy in 2021-22, the shifty offensive defenseman Detroit fans call "Mo" has proven to be a draft jackpot for the Red Wings. In four years and 328 games played for Detroit, he has scored 29 goals and 151 assists. A true offensive defenseman, Seider has proven to be one of the most talented German-born players in the NHL. Needless to say, the Flyers could greatly benefit from 6'3" offensive defenseman assuming one of a similar pedigree is left for them to snag at 6th overall.
Jamie Drysdale (Anaheim Ducks-2020)
Believe it or not, current Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale was picked 6th overall by the Ducks in 2020. A once-coveted offensive defenseman, Drysdale was especially sought after due to his superb skating abilities at both ends of the ice. However, his development was arguably rushed by the Ducks as Drysdale spent minimal time developing in the AHL to establish sound defensive decision-making.
Historically, minor league development is even more crucial for defensemen as opposed to forwards due to the complexity of the position. Needless to say, NHL defensemen are expected to make swift decisions both with and without the puck in the transition-focused game most NHL teams play today, which comes with repetition and time.
In 123 games played for the Ducks, Drysdale recorded eight goals and 37 assists. Since being acquired by Philadelphia in 2023 in the Cutter Gauthier trade, he has played 94 games (9 G, 16 A). His time as a Flyer has been nothing short of a mixed bag. Recurrent upper body injuries have plagued the start of young defenseman's career, but he began to show immense promise under the direction of the previous Flyers defense and penalty kill coach, Brad Shaw.
During the latter half of the 2024-2025 season, it looked as though Drysdale was finally able to utilize his speed and agility in productive ways while also cleaning up his defensive play. Although Shaw is no longer with the organization, fans can hope that Drysdale's development will continue in a more linear direction in the 2025-26 season and beyond
So, is the 6th overall pick one to write home about? Absolutely not. However, Danny Briere and company hold three first-round selections in this year's draft. This raises the question of will the Flyers keep each of them, trade to move up, or use the picks as assets in the trade market? Only time will tell. All fans can do now is hope this offseason is especially eventful, given the team's draft capital and newly obtained cap flexibility.