So far, there is a lot of speculation about what the Flyers may or may not be doing in the days leading up to next week's draft. Give it to Daniel Briere, but he is holding his cards close. It helps build anticipation for fans and gives hockey "insiders" and "prognosticators" lots to speculate on and talk about.
Realistically, we have no idea what is happening. Rumors are constantly swirling about how the Flyers may or may not be interested in this guy or that guy who is available.
So, without any sort of speculation or rumor milling, let's examine each of the Flyers options they have over this next week. Let's take a look at each of the scenarios that the Briere and Co, could be up to.
Option 1: Stay put and draft away
Ok, it's the least sexy of the options, but the most practical. The Flyers will have seven picks in the first 64 selections. On average, that's one pick every seven chances, although it doesn't quite work like that. With three picks in the first round and four in the second, the Flyers have a legitimate shot to restock the cupboards with seven (hopefully) solid selections.
They can clear out prospects who aren't panning out and give someone new a chance. Perhaps the sixth overall pick could break the roster out of camp while the rest we could see over the course of the next few seasons.
Again, it is the least exciting action the Flyers can take. But if you are looking for long term success, this makes the most sense. You can build the team you want to see five years from now. Plus, having that many options allows you to build a culture without any outside influences from free agents and such. The downside of this is that this takes more time and how patient are Flyers fans right now?
Option Two: Trade up
There are two parts to this. The first is moving up from sixth. Earlier, I looked at the possibility of the Flyers moving up in the draft. The prospects didn't look super promising to crack the top five. In the six weeks since the NHL Draft Lottery, things have changed. San Jose's GM Mike Grier is open to the possibility of moving down a bit. Likewise, the Chicago Blackhawks seem to be willing to move down from third overall. What would it cost the Flyers to move up? Maybe one, or both, of the later first rounders with the #6 pick or #6 and a couple of seconds. It is possible a prospect of NHL level guy (Bobby Brink, Owen Tippett) may have to be part of the cost. It's hard to say. It really depends on how badly the Flyers want to move up and what other teams are offering to move up.
The other part of this scenario is to move up from the 20s into the 10s. That might require the Flyers to package both late round first round picks to move up or a combo of a first and one or more seconds. Here, the Flyers have selected at the number six overall position, but will use their other draft picks to grab someone else. If there is a guy the Flyers like and they didn't want to select him at the sixth spot, but he has fallen out of the top ten, Briere could make a move to snag him.
Option Three: Use draft picks in a trade
Draft picks and prospects are nice, but it can take years before you see the fruits of what you selected. Sometimes, you can make some really bad choices and screw yourself over for years: like the Flyers draft classes between 2016-2018.
While nothing is ever a sure thing (remember, the Ryan Ellis deal looked solid until he got hurt), a guy who is already playing in the NHL moves the rebuild up a bit. It's because of this that the Flyers have been linked to just about every RFA on a cash strapped team from Marco Rossi to Nicolas Hague. Some of that is just wishful thinking. Some of that is Briere kicking the tires on these guys and seeing what's up.
However, if there is a savy vet the Flyers could acquire via a trade, it might not cost the them a lot. A guy who's been overpaid might only cost them a second round pick or two and a cheap player, like Brink, if the team is willing to take on all, or most, of his salary. Or if you want to go younger, a pending RFA would cost the Flyers more in draft capital, but give you a player you can put on the roster immediately.
Again, the fun part of all of this speculation right now is that the Flyers have a lot of options they can do to improve the team. All three of these scenarios could improve this franchise in many ways.
With just a few days left to go, it will be exciting to see which way Briere and the rest of the Flyers management choose to go. Grab your popcorn as it will sure be an interesting week.