The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Matvei Michkov 7th overall in 2023 and that is incredible. He fell to them and they did not hesitate or overthink it.
However, a few mistakes and a bit of bad luck have happened since then which makes the future look a tad bit more bleak.
Right now, the Flyers' prospect pool isn't as good as it should be. They selected Jett Luchanko in the 2024 NHL Draft over some other higher-rated players and they traded Cutter Gauthier during the regular season.
Each of those decisions had different motives but they were done nonetheless. Now, the Flyers have to live with their moves. Thinking that other prospects are better than Luchanko is an opinion and Gauthier wanted out. Regardless, did they handle either situation to the best of their ability?
The Philadelphia Flyers don't have as good of a pipeline as they should
Last week, Corey Pronman of The Athletic published his ranking for the top U23 systems in the NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers were ranked at number 13. That isn't terrible but it isn't where they should be for a team that has been rebuilding for as long as they have.
If they didn't have Michkov, you best believe that they'd be much lower on the list. They need this kid to be a superstar for any of their plans to work. It's a lot of pressure to put on one kid. They need more.
So where do the Flyers go from here? Well, they just have to keep building. If Jett Luchanko and other prospects turn out to be better than expected, they will get praise. If they don't, the management team will be criticized.
One writer at a publishing company isn't the final answer but it isn't the best to see them ranked as low as 13. The other teams near the top of the list have been at it about as long as the Flyers but they are getting quicker results.
The Flyers were good for 75% of the 2023-24 season but that isn't enough to declare the work over. They might not be that good in 2024-25 but that isn't the point. The future should be on the mind of this team.
It is unclear what level of draft selection they will have in 2025 but they need to do well with it for these rankings to start going their way.