Mock drafts, in any sport, are never easy. Once you get past the first round, or sometimes even the first ten picks, it becomes a guessing game. You're making assumptions based on what players you have on the board and what teams might be thinking if that's how things shook out.
And for the Flyers, it's harder than in years past. They've typically had a top-10 pick over the last few years. But with the 21st pick this year, there's a lot of discourse about who could be available at that point. It's not considered to be the deepest draft either. So that's why, if you look at various outlets, you've seen many different names thrown about.
In the last two drafts, the Flyers have taken a center in the first round. And they've made attempts to iron out the position with later picks. But you can never have too many centers in the pipeline, especially with none of their current prospects looking like that game-changing center. Until that changes, it makes sense to keep taking swings at the position.
"A lot of times you draft centermen, and sometimes they become wingers too,” Assistant general manager Brent Flahr said during a pre-draft press conference. “And vice versa. Typically, in junior, the best players are often times centermen. So we’ll continue to target centermen. Obviously, we have a certain number of players that are maybe a little bit similar as far as potential roles, but we have strong feelings about a couple of them and where they’re going to get to. We’re happy with their upside. That’s a position that takes time, and you can’t have too many of them, that’s for sure.”
Or, according to one of The Athletic's most recent mock drafts, they may not even take a center at all.
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Corey Pronman, a highly regarded source on prospect news, was one of the first to take a crack at mocking the entire NHL Draft. That is certainly not an easy feat. But it doesn't mean that criticism is off the table either. Especially when Pronman doesn't have the Flyers taking a forward until their final pick, and it isn't even a center.
He has the Flyers taking William Håkansson first, stating that it adds "a big, physical, mobile defenseman to a system which currently lacks that player type." That's not an inaccurate statement, and while Håkansson could fill that need, most public rankings don't view him highly. The Flyers could, but it still feels like a reach with who could be available.
The centers left on the board at that time are Jack Hextall and Brooks Rogowski, so it may be understandable if the Flyers aren't sold on either of them. Hextall has similar vibes to the Flyers' last few drafted centers. And Rogowski's profile may not jive with where the team is headed, though they aren't as desperate for an immediate answer as before.
Even so, a winger like Nikita Klepov, with his offensive skill, would make more sense. The Flyers could use more high-end offensive players at any position, and leaving potential like this on the board might not be the best decision.
A big surprise, Pronman has the Flyers landing Xavier Villeneuve with their second-round pick. This one could be a steal, but it would be shocking to see the potential power-play quarterback defenseman making it that far. If he's on the board in the second, they could jump on this chance. It does beg the question of whether they should devote their limited selections to multiple defensemen, though.
The Flyers don't pick again until the sixth round, where Pronman yet again has them taking a defenseman. This time, it's Elisei Ryabykin. It's hard to fight a pick taken this late, considering you're drafting more on potential at this point. But with the Flyers having taken two defensemen, should they really continue to hone in on the position?
Lastly, they finally take a forward with their final pick, landing Nathan Amidovski. Unless Briere makes any moves to add draft picks, they will have to be strategic in who they choose with only four picks.
It will all depend on how the actual board shakes out in less than a week. But even while they have added to the center position in recent years, it would be surprising if the Flyers came out of this draft without continuing to address one of their biggest needs.
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