5 Flyers Storylines To Watch During NHL Offseason: Stockpile of NHL Draft Picks

The Philadelphia Flyers finished a disappointing 2024-25 season 29th in the NHL standings. They slipped to the sixth-overall spot in the 2025 NHL Draft after suffering some tough luck in the lottery. They've missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs five straight times, and general manager Danny Briere declared “rock bottom” in the final weeks of the regular season.

While the Flyers don’t have recent accomplishments to boast, they finally have better flexibility to change directions away from an era defined by losing. 

A stockpile of picks in the NHL Draft, a high-profile coaching search, and a long list of roster needs will keep the Flyers near the top of the headlines during the 2025 NHL offseason.

Only the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, and Nashville Predators had higher odds than the Flyers to land the first-overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5. Anxious Philadelphia sports fans watched their team slip two spots into their worst case scenario.

The Flyers also own late first-rounders from the Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers. The Avalanche lost in the conference quarterfinals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so their pick will fall between 22-25. Edmonton's postseason fate will also heavily impact Philadelphia's outlook.

Briere has an arsenal of second-round picks, largely thanks to the Flyers selling at five consecutive trade deadlines. NHL rules cap the number of contracts teams can offer to prospects in their system, so expect Briere to trade multiple early-round draft picks before or during the draft.

The first decentralized NHL Draft (that isn't due to Covid-19) will take place June 27-28 in Los Angeles while NHL front office executives gather together close to their home markets in an unusual format change.

Speculation and rumors will undoubtedly fly about the Flyers trading up towards the top of the first round. They strongly pushed to land Ivan Demidov at the top of the draft last summer, and they’d love to package their high volume of picks for a more premium slot.

However, NHL teams don’t trade into the top 10 often on draft night. The media’s footballization of every sport will drive the conversations more than any historical precedent in hockey.

Briere is more likely to package picks in a deal that brings a roster player to the Flyers immediately. The young GM has gathered pieces that give him the flexibility to land an impact player, and the Flyers desperately need a center with a more dynamic skill set to play on their top line with Matvei Michkov. 

NHL teams also draft for need less often than teams in other sports. Prospects are draft eligible as long as they turn 18 before September 1, so most of them won’t contribute at the NHL level immediately.

The Flyers have a clear weakness down the middle, which encouraged them to draft Jett Luchanko in 2024, but picking the best available player is a much more common line of thinking.

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer is projected to come off the board with the first-overall pick. The Athletic ranked three centers – Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and James Hagens – in the top five on their draft big board.

Briere will make his talent evaluation decisions with heavy input from assistant general manager Brent Flahr, who kept scouting and prospect responsibilities with the new front office despite joining the Flyers under former GM Chuck Fletcher.