The NHL Draft is a little over 24 hours away. Bubble transfer for the Flyers is anyone’s guess, but they do have their eyes on some prized young prospects.
Fortunately, the Flyers have two picks in the second round of the draft, to help aide the rebuild. There is some good young talent in the second round, so let’s take a peek at who might catch the eye of Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere.
Round 2: (36), RW, Sam O’Reilly
Sam O’Reilly has been heavily scouted by Philadelphia, and other London Knights players, as well, throughout the course of the season. Keith Jones was in attendance throughout the majority of the OHL Playoffs, and he wasn’t just getting a look at upcoming prospects, such as, Denver Barkey or Oliver Bonk.
O’Reilly used to be a defenseman believe it or not, but he moved to the Right Wing position, and relished his role in his rookie season for the Knights. He has emerged as a solid two-way player in the OHL, as he was trusted by the Knights coaching staff throughout the course of the season.
He can skate like the breeze of the wind, and O’Reilly just has a knack for the net. O’Reilly likes to score goals, as he’s always in the right position to make the play, the right play as a matter of fact. Believe it or not, he’s very good in transition, so if things go South in the offensive zone. He back checks so well that he covers a lot of ground to make up for the said mistake. His bread and butter is his lethal wrist shot, where he goes “Top shelf where Mama hides the cookies.”
This is a high value pick with the Flyers first second round pick of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Round 2: (51) LW, Marek Vanaker
This young 17-year-old in Vanaker became thrusted and trusted into a role with the Brantford Bulldogs in 2023-24. By all accounts, he endured a career season to boot by tallying 36 goals and 46 assists in 68 games played. The Flyers again pick size, as Vanaker stands at 6’1.
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Vanaker just knows where to be and when, and he is excellent in the corners. He can pick a players pocket and lead the rush up the ice with ease. Vanaker, a native of Ontario, is excellent around the net. He has a great wrist shot, and he will be a stable force on the power play for the Flyers in the future.
NHL Buyout Period
The NHL compliance buyout period opens 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is awarded. Of course, this means the NHL buyout. Opens today and will last until June 12th at 5:00 p.m..
There are two candidates that the Flyers could buy out: Cam Atkinson or Cal Petersen. Both of which, are rostered for one more season with the orange and black. It will be interesting to see what the Flyers do, as both Keith Jones and Danny Briere have eluded to getting rid of the dead cap space, in order to progress with the rebuild.
