The Philadelphia Flyers are trying to turn into a winning franchise once again. It has been a few years since they made that claim.
The Dallas Stars, however, have been a winning team for a long time and they continue to get even better. That is a team that the Flyers should be trying to emulate.
Although they haven't won the Stanley Cup with this core yet, they are tied 2-2 in the Western Conference Finals right now.
Their success is built on being very strong drafters. They already had a nice core of veterans that included Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. They have since added other great vets like Ryan Suter and Joe Pavelski who have both been so helpful.
The Philadelphia Flyers need to try and be like the Dallas Stars
Later on, they had some incredible drafting happen right before our eyes. They did very well with Roope Hintz who was a second-round pick in 2015. He has since become their number one center that helps them in all three zones. He's one of the best two-way players in the league.
In 2017, they transformed their franchise. They had two first-round picks and hit on them both. At number three, they selected Miro Heiskanen who has since become a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman. If they win the Cup this spring, he may win the Conn Smythe.
The second first-round pick was used on Jake Oettinger who has been one of the best goalies in the NHL ever since he arrived. If Heiskanen doesn't win the Conn Smythe with a Dallas win, Oettinger would.
As if that isn't enough greatness for one draft, they also landed Jason Robertson in the second round who has proven to be a superstar in the NHL.
They have since added a new wave of stars with guys like Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven. They almost have three generations of stars that can all help them win. Filling in the gaps beyond the high-octane players has also been a strength of theirs.
The Flyers need to try and do this. They need to hit on their draft picks and just use free agency to fill in some holes. It doesn't hurt to make a few smart trades too.
Philly is already in a good place with some of their young talent but they can get even better. If they want to win the Stanley Cup, taking the advice from the Stars is a great place to continue.