The Philadelphia Flyers own the No. 12 pick, meaning someone slated to go in the top-six of the 2024 NHL Draft could realistically fall to them. Per Tankathon’s mock draft as of June 14th, those players are Macklin Celebrini, Ivan Demidov, Artyom Levshunov, Cayden Lindstrom, Cole Eiserman, and Zeev Buium.
While the Flyers would be in outstanding shape if someone like Cole Eiserman fell to them, let’s instead shift our focus to the defensive side of the puck and talk about Zeev Buium, who put up an incredible freshman season at the University of Denver, ending the year with 50 points and 11 goals across 42 contests.
Those numbers were an improvement over what we saw him do in the 2022-23 season with the US National Development Team, where he finished the season with 52 points and seven goals in 86 games. But for a defenseman, Buium needs to have a better track record than just scoring goals or finding the right teammate to finish off sequences, and fortunately, he’s already displaying that two-way skill set.
Zeev Buium could be the ideal pick if he falls to the Flyers in the NHL Draft
Zeev Buium’s skating, high hockey IQ, ability to turn nothing into something regardless of which zone he’s carrying the puck in, and the fact he doesn’t shy away from physical play in front of the net no matter what side of the ice he’s on, means the Flyers should stop a potential freefall at 12th overall if he’s there for the taking.
Overall, it’s been a roller coaster when it comes to projecting where Buium will land, and he could end up going as early as No. 4 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, or perhaps as late as No. 12 to the Flyers.
That said, one reason I listed Buium here isn’t because I feel he’s the odd man out within the projected top six per Tankathon, but because of how heavy the front end of this draft class is for blueliners. Someone has to freefall and will be there when the Flyers pick, whether it’s Buium, Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson, or Anton Silyayev.
Any of the players mentioned above would work, but if I had to choose one player with the most upside in that group, it would be Buium, making him the ideal prospect to fall to the Flyers at No. 12.
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