As the calendar turns to November, we've seen roughly 20% of the Philadelphia Flyers season (17.8% for you sticklers), and the vast majority of it has been ugly. Ugly enough to start thinking about what a top pick in next year's draft might look like.
While the Flyers looked much better to start the month It is hard to imagine this team making a turnaround to a postseason team. They pulled off what felt impossible last season, but this year might not be able to produce the same magic.
Frankly, that might be exactly what the Flyers need.
The absolute last thing that fans want to hear and see is advocating for tanking and being told to "Trust the Process," even if Sam Hinkie's scheming somehow has led to LeBron being a 76er. The NHL is very different, but it still might be a good year for the Flyers to embrace their status as loveable losers for the rest of this season.
The top of the draft has exactly what the Flyers need
Now, the Flyers aren't the worst team in the league, and they might have trouble tumbling all the way down the standings, but regardless of if they secure the most lottery balls or even the #1 pick in the 2027 NHL draft, they'll be able to get a player they need.
Landon DuPont is a defender who is far and away the consensus #1 pick. He's got Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar-level hype building, and he deserves it. He was the first defender ever granted exceptional status to play in the WHL at 15, and he's done nothing but dominate at the junior and international level since. He's a franchise-changing prize.
Outside of DuPont, the best value in the draft comes from the run of centers just behind him at the top of the draft. Ending up in a position to draft a player like Nazar Privalov or Jonah Neuenschwander would fix the Flyers' ills at center overnight.
It won't feel good, and the payoff gets delayed a bit longer, but it might really be the Flyers' best option. A top-5 and a top-15 pick (they own Toronto's, don't forget!) are true assets.
It also means you can trade and evaluate
The roster changeover for the Flyers is still currently in the process, but sometimes it is difficult to do that when you're trying to be a good team and not a team that's focused on development.
This doesn't mean throwing games. Every NHL team will try to win when they step on the ice, but if the Flyers don't have the need to win now, they can trade vets, clear cap, and take a real look at which young kid can play and which can't.
A healthy and fully stocked defense means that we won't see enough of Oliver Bonk to make a real determination. It also means a project like David Jiricek won't pan out because we can't play him too. Hunter McDonald stays in the AHL, and we talk about getting excited to see him in training camp.
Not committing to development means we see more Michael Bunting in the lineup. He's a decent NHLer, but not one who fits the needs of this team now or in the future. Neither is Noel Accari. We need to see if Alex Bump can work through his bump in the road and be productive. We need to determine Denver Barkey's ceiling. Jett Luchanko has to play sooner rather than later.
In the end, it's better than the alternative
Even if you believed the team improved in the offseason, they did nothing to become a true contender. If the Flyers embrace their step back, they can make this year more than a lost year.
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