Should Philadelphia take the bait if teams come calling for the Flyers’ 5th overall pick?  

Photo Credit: Philadelphia Flyers

With the Flyers managing to finish dead last in the Metropolitan Division this season (achieving just 25 wins and accumulating a dismal 61 points on the year), the orange and black could use all the help they can get moving forward. That’s why the Flyers brass should at least listen to any offers presented to them in the coming weeks leading up to the draft. This year, multiple teams have the means to move up if they so desire. The Flyers do not currently have a 2nd round pick, which means once they draft a player 5th overall, they will not have another selection until the third round or, more precisely, 69th overall. 

So just for the hell of it, let’s take a look at the kind of bounty that could be had if one of these teams with a wealth of draft pick compensation feel the need to move up to select a player, they feel they cannot live without. 

Ottawa Senators 

The Ottawa Senators are one of those teams that have a multitude of picks in this year’s draft who could wish to move up to select a player they so covet. The Senators possess the 7^th overall pick this year, so just by moving back two spots if the teams were to agree to swap selections, the Flyers could also request any variation of the Sens. other desirable draft picks. Ottawa possesses both the 39^th and 57^th overall picks in the second round and the 71^st and 87^th in this year’s 3^rd round. 

Cutter Gauthier

With the Flyers dropping back to seventh, they could still draft a dynamic 6’3 194-pound American-born power forward in Cutter Gauthier. This winger who plays a 200ft game can dominate around the boards and in front of the net. He also commonly utilizes his strength and speed to deke right through the competition on his way to the net. Cutter reminds me of a lot of team U.S.A.’s last year standout Tyler Boucher and he should have similar success at the N.H.L. level. Set to attend the famed Boston College next season, Gauthier could find himself winning a Frozen Four National Championship before bringing his talents to Philadelphia.

Nathan Gaucher

To go along with him, if the Flyers also obtained say the Senators 39th overall selection in this year’s draft, they could look to acquire a much-needed center prospect in Nathan Gaucher. Gaucher, who played for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this year, is a hard-working 6’3 207-pound prospect who looked like a man playing amongst boys this season—scoring 31 goals and 26 assists for 57 points in the regular season while maintaining a +30 average. While Gaucher may lack the kind of refined skill as the players that will be selected before him, he makes up for it in hustle and determination. Nathan never takes a shift off, and that is precisely why head coach Patrick Roy rewards him with a copious amount of playing time on a nightly basis. 

Again, the Flyers don’t have a second-round pick this year, and if it meant dropping back a couple of spots to acquire a talent such as Gaucher’s to go along with what would still be a top ten pick, it might be worth making the trade.

Buffalo Sabres  

The Sabres might have gotten the best of the Flyers in the Rasmus Ristolainen deal, but there might be an opportunity for the Flyers to get their revenge. The Buffalo Sabres are a team that remain perpetually in the middle of a rebuild and are selecting 9^th overall this year for that reason. But, like the Senators, the Sabres also have numerous picks in this year’s draft and might be willing to move a couple in order to select a player who might be higher up on their draft board. Along with the 9^th pick, the Sabres also own two additional 1^st round picks in this year’s draft: the 16^th and the 32^nd. In addition to those picks, The Sabres also have a second-round selection, 41^st overall. 

Jonathan Lekkerimaki

Again, by agreeing to switch 1^st-round picks and moving back to the 9^th position, the Flyers could still get a talented prospect in Sweden’s Jonathan Lekkerimaki, a 5’11 176-pound winger with elite sharp-shooting attributes. Starting the year off with a bang playing for the Dejurgardens J20 team, scoring 20 goals and 15 assists for 35 points in just 26 games, Lekkerimaki was quickly called up to the S.H.L. (Sweden’s top professional league). Once there, he was able to tally seven goals and two assists for nine points in the last 26 games of the season. But perhaps where Lekkerimaki was most impressive was this year’s World Junior Championships, where he was able to post a 2.50 points-per-game average, scoring five goals and ten assists for 15 points in just six games played. Jonathan is just the sniper the Flyers need to aid their failing offense, and he is but one piece that Philadelphia could obtain resulting from this trade, if Buffalo were to come calling.

Seamus Casey 

If said deal were to occur, the Sabers would most likely not wish to move their 16^th overall pick in the agreement, but they may be willing to give up the 32^nd to make that happen. If so, the Flyers could also address their need for a right-hand shooting defenseman by picking up the United States National Development Programs Seamus Casey. Watching this video below, you will see that this young blueliner may be one of the best puck handlers not only on the back end but also in the entire draft. Casey, who makes good players look even better, draws comparisons to a young Shayne Gostisbehere. The only difference being is that Casey can play defense! 

Again, this is just another mock scenario where it may prove beneficial to listen to a trade offer if Buffalo came calling about the 5^th overall pick. 

Anaheim Ducks 

The last team we will pose a possible scenario about is the Anaheim Ducks, who are due to select 10^th overall in this upcoming draft. To add to that, they also have the 23rd pick and the 42nd and 53rd overall picks in the second round. Why might a trade between the Flyers and Ducks happen, you ask? As of late, Anaheim’s scouting department can do no wrong. We all know the type of players they have been able to land, with Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Sam Steel, and Max Jones all having very early success. But over the last couple of years, they have also suggested management select players like forwards: Jacob Perreault, Sam Colangelo, Sasha Pastujov, and Sean Tschigerl. Defenseman Olen Zellweger, and goaltender Lukas Dostal who you will all come to know in time. So, with their scouting ability and immediate productivity from the players they suggest. If the Ducks scouts come knocking on their newly appointed general manager Pat Verbeek’s office door saying they want him to move up to select a specific player, Verbeek would be wise just to shut up and do it. 

Danila Yurov 

If such a trade were to occur, the Flyers could look to get a player like Danila Yurov at number ten. With news of Ivan Miroshnichenko being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Yurov became the undisputed top prospect coming out of Russia this year. In fact, before his country decided to take up arms against Ukraine, Danila was beginning to be considered one of the top 5 players available in this year’s draft class. Yurov, who predominantly plays the right-wing, stands at 6’1 and 179 pounds. He is a strong skater who can read the ice very well and knows what to do with the puck when given space. This season while playing in the MHL, Yurov was able to post 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points in just 23 games. If you’re trying to keep track, that’s a 1.56 points-per-game (P.P.G.) average. To go along with that point production, Danila was also able to showcase his strong two-way game by maintaining a +22 average on the season. If the Flyers choose to select this young marksman, they could come away from this conquest victorious, given their prized acquisition. 

Jagger Firkus

Now, the question then becomes what other compensation would Philadelphia be able to receive if they were willing to do a deal with the Ducks? Well, if they somehow could obtain the Ducks’ other 1^st round pick. They could select a young man named Jagger Firkus, 23^rd overall. Firkus, in my mind, has one of, if not THE BEST shot in this entire draft class. He was overlooked for most of the year because he played on the Western Hockey Leagues (W.H.L.’s) Moose Jaw Warriors instead of one of the league’s more well-known teams. Jagger will be an absolute gem that will likely still be on the board this late in the first round. Firkus netted 36 goals, and 44 assists for 80 points in 66 games played this season. He paired a 1.21 P.P.G. average with a +15 plus-minus rating. Fun fact here is that thirty-sixth goal was good enough to see him rise above the highly touted potential top-five pick Matthew Savoie’s final goal tally of 35. Mark my word, whoever gets this kid will have 31 other teams holding meetings with their scouting department asking them why didn’t you tell me to draft this guy? 

Rieger Lorenz    

Suppose the Flyers cannot convince the Ducks to give up their second 1st round pick in a trade to allow Anaheim to move up. Then they could utilize their previously mentioned 42 overall pick to select center Rieger Lorenz from the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Okotoks Oilers. If drafted by the Flyers, Lorenz could bring some much-needed offense prowess to the Flyers game in the near future. Standing at 6’2 and 185 pounds Lorenz who scored 38 goals and 47 assists for 85 points this season is another underrated player with huge upside moving forward. Lorenz is set to attend and play for the University of Denver next season where he will continue to get the proper tutelage from Denver’s young and very talented head coach David Carle. 

While all of these trades we discussed are merely reveries at this point, they could become genuine possibilities in the coming weeks leading up to the draft if one of these teams finds themselves simply salivating about a particular prospect on the board when the Flyers are set to make their selection. So, if I were in charge of a team such as the Flyers who find themselves in such disarray, I might be willing to slide back a few spots to get a two for one special (if you will) like in the trades I aforementioned above.       

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