The Philadelphia Flyers were eyeing the 2025 NHL Draft for a long time. They compiled three picks in the first round and four in the second round, looking to re-stock their cupboard as they position themselves to finally get back to contention. They parted with one of the second-rounders in their recent trade for Trevor Zegras, but they were still locked and loaded when the draft kicked off on Friday night.
What followed in the first round was a bold statement by general manager Daniel Briere and the Flyers' braintrust, who selected Porter Martone sixth overall, then traded their two remaining first-rounders to the Penguins to move up and pick Jack Nesbitt. The Flyers certainly added some size to their future outlook, and they have now gone all-in on these two players as part of the next great Flyers team.
The Flyers hope that Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt will become franchise fixtures
In terms of the forward group, the Flyers have been trying to rebuild the pipeline ever since it became painfully apparent that Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee would not develop as hoped. The team hit on Travis Konecny a decade ago at least, and they are pinning their hopes that he, Matvei Michkov, Jett Luchanko, Tyson Foerster, and the newly acquired Trevor Zegras will form the core of the team that Martone and Nesbitt will hopefully join soon.
That's a solid stable of first-round picks, but the team will need some of them to hit their ceiling, in addition to finding a true centerpiece via trade or free agency at some point if they aren't going to luck into a first overall pick anytime soon.
It's highly unlikely that both Martone and Nesbitt will be part of the club for the upcoming season (although Martone probably has a decent shot of making the team). In two to three years, however, they both need to be playing meaningful minutes in strong supporting roles as they position themselves to move even further up the lineup.
High-level play even sooner will help the team to use other players, such as Owen Tippett and Bobby Brink, as trade bait to strengthen other areas of the team and/or build even more future assets. The sky is the limit, although the floor here is pretty scary if one or both of Martone or Nesbitt don't pan out.
This was the first time since 1978 that the Flyers had two of the first twelve picks at the draft. They haven't had that many high picks since then, and some of them have blown up in their face, with disastrous consequences. The risk is now twice as great, the stakes twice as high, but if Martone and Nesbitt are both up to the challenge, then the Flyers can reap the rewards for easily the next decade and probably longer.
Even though the Flyers will still need to get external help, they realize that almost all Stanley Cup-winning clubs can point to numerous players on their team that the organization invested heavily in to draft and develop, leading to the ultimate payoff. The Flyers now have those players in tow.
Are they good enough, and can the team unlock their full potential? If so, the Flyers are much closer to a championship core now. If the team just continues to spin its wheels for several more seasons, then it will have been a failed exercise.
You'd hate to say that the team's long-term future hinges on a couple of kids they've just drafted, but it very well may. The current talent level of the Flyers' NHL roster, even with players like Michkov and Zegras, is still below average. The team desperately needs Martone and Nesbitt to meet or exceed expectations to give the team a real chance and start creating advantages for the Flyers that they haven't had in far too long.