The Philadelphia Flyers surprised many with their first move in the 2024 NHL Draft. With plenty of talent on the board, the Flyers traded the 12th pick to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for the 13th pick and a 2025 third-rounder. Minnesota ended up with Zeev Buium, a defenseman many Flyers fans had on their radar.
The consensus from most at this point was that the Flyers would choose one of Konsta Helenius or Cole Eiserman. Instead, they went off the board and picked Jett Luchanko out of the OHL. With some of the players left on the board when it was Philadelphia's turn, this pick left some questioning what Danny Briere and the Flyers were thinking.
""We had a feeling when we saw the board, the way it was coming down, that we could move back a little bit. We explored different options, but that was the only one that was safe enough and gave us the chance to acquire more draft capital. We were very careful to not move too far back because we really wanted Jett.""
Flyers excited for Jett Luchanko's potential
So even if the Flyers didn't trade the pick to Minnesota, it's possible they would've taken Luchanko anyway. Briere made that clear in saying how much they wanted him. Luchanko is one of the draft's youngest players at 17 years old. He was one of the main attractions on a struggling Oshawa Generals team. He posted 20 goals and 74 points, the latter leading his team. His speed is a top asset, something he can use to get through defenses.
One knock is that most of his goals have come from in tight as he doesn't possess a high-level shot. But he is young and could take another step forward with a better-supporting cast next season. The Flyers have plenty of faith in what Luchanko can become. It was AGM Brent Flahr who spoke about the potential they see in his game.
""Centerman, great speed, very smart, very detailed at both ends of the rink. And his offense took a big step this year. As he gets stronger, we assume he’s going to become more and more dynamic. We’re really excited about his potential.""
Prior to the draft, Briere spoke on the team's need for a center. It wasn't necessarily how they were going to go with their first pick. It all depended on how the board played out for them. But according to Briere, there wasn't a huge enough difference in the players available to them to make a pick outside of what they were looking for.
So in taking Luchanko, the Flyers believe he can stick at center long-term. It's very much a position of need for the team. Still, it's fair to wonder how things will play out. But it's a decision that won't have an answer for at least a few years.
Briere and the Flyers showed tremendous excitement in getting "their guy". It's all about trusting the process at this point.