Much like any team, the Flyers have had some draft regrets in years past. In 2017, we can wonder what would have happened if the Flyers selected Cale Makar instead of Nolan Patrick. Or what about Connor Geekie in 2022 instead of Cutter Gauthier? Or consider 2016 if the Flyers had selected Tage Thompson instead of German Rubstov. You never know what you’ll get until years later.
So far, this looks like a pretty good draft. Many experts like it, and the prospect pool seems promising. However, some of that "promise" depends on whether some of them get healthy or develop along their current trajectories.
While it is way too early to know if it is a good draft or not, are there any players that the Flyers may regret not selecting?
If not Martone, then whom?
Porter Martone looks like a solid, top-tier right winger. The issue is, they already have several good players at right wing. Maybe the Flyers could see if Matvei Michkov can move to the left side, or even shift Martone there. However, many of the draft criticisms involve trading two first-round picks to select at center. Are there any centers the Flyers overlooked?
The two that instantly come to mind are James Hagens and Jake O'Brien. Both are high-quality centers and came quickly off the boards at seventh and eighth, respectively. The Flyers are lacking a high-quality center. Hagens was projected as high as third or fourth in many mock drafts. O'Brien was viewed as possibly the third-best center in the draft. Hagens seems to be the more well-rounded center in terms of ability, but O'Brien would've been a solid consolation prize.
Now, if Martone becomes the second coming of Mark Recchi, this all becomes moot. However, if Hagens and/or O'Brien become dominating centers, it will make us cringe just a bit if Martone fails to live up to the hype.
Radim Mrtka was widely seen as the second-best defender in the draft. Standing at 6'6", a defender like him who can use his size to hit without punishing is valuable. He doesn't take many penalties and could have been NHL-ready fairly soon. Honestly, he could have helped forget about Rasmus Ristolainen being injured. And it might have made him expendable, as well.
What about Nesbitt?
The Flyers have been high on Martone for a while. Ok, now what? They held the 22nd and 31st picks in the draft. Some believe that Nesbitt might have made it to the 22nd pick. Maybe. Maybe not. Nobody can say. However, if they could’ve had him at 22, that means they missed out on grabbing a defender like Henry Brzustewicz or a center like Cullen Potter.
Or, could they have moved up and gotten someone else? Well, at 12th, they could've had: left-wing/center Carter Bear, left winger Viktor Eklund, or highly-touted defender Kashawn Aitcheson.
Aitcheson, a left-handed defender, saw his stock rise significantly in the weeks leading up to the draft. Seeing him on the Islanders, potentially paired up with top pick Matthew Schaefer, sends shivers down my spine. That's two solid defenders on a divisional rival's roster that could be there for years and years to come.
Likewise, there was a lot of chatter that Eklund could be the top European player, if not for Victor Frondell in the draft. A left winger of his skill set could've been someone the Flyers used, especially if paired up with Michkov or Martone. Likewise, Bear also saw his stock rise late in the year. Playing effectively at both left wing and center makes him versatile and useful to many teams, like the Flyers, that could employ him at both positions.
Again, Nesbitt will have to show that he is better than the detractors say. Nobody doubts he has potential. But is the potential worth two first-round picks? Would two of these guys have been better than him? Would it have been better to trade back, maybe a first and second rounder, to grab someone of his caliber? We'll soon find out.
Second round regrets?
The Flyers made some great selections in the second round. The foursome of Carter Amico, Jack Murtaugh, Shane Vansaghi, and Matthew Gard seem to be solid picks, provided Amico can heal from his knee injury.
However, some detractors suggest the absence of any goalie selected in the draft is a huge swing and a miss. Likewise, there was no left-handed defender taken.
If Amico can't recover well enough, will the Flyers regret passing on Blake Fiddler, especially since that trade brought the team Matthew Gard? What about left winger Malcolm Spence? Spence was a speedy left winger who could've surprised. His specialty was on the power play, a factor of the Flyers' game that has pretty much sucked for years.
Fiddler was just 17, but projected to possibly go in the first round. For him to go to the Kraken is a lot better than him landing on a divisional rival, like New Jersey. Still, he is a fast-skating, shut-down defender. If Amico turns out to be an injury bust, we may miss not seeing Fiddler in a Flyers jersey.
We won't fully know if this draft worked out or not until a few seasons from now. Hopefully it did. I'd hate to add to the long list of players the Flyers regret drafting.