With the 2023 NHL Draft having come to a close, the Flyers’ faithful know that at least these next two seasons will be somewhat dreary. But the things to look forward to are prospects, both in the system and those yet to be drafted. We know the big names in the Flyers’ pipeline already with Matvei Michkov and Cutter Gauthier being the headliners. Both project to be first-line players with Michkov slated to be that franchise cornerstone and Cutter Gauthier cutting out to be a first-liner at either the center position or on the left wing. Where does that leave the rest of the pipeline and the future of this team going forward and what prospects should Danny Briere look at in these next two drafts?

*Disclaimer: prospects rankings can change drastically in one year, let alone two, so these are just some top prospects now that, looking at the Flyers’ needs, Briere should be watching*

Offense

Center

As I mentioned above, Cutter Gauthier was drafted with the thought of him being a first-line center in mind. Gauthier may end up being that 1C the Flyers need, but Morgan Frost has also been mentioned as the future C of an eventual line with Gauthier and Michkov on the wings. In the rest of the pipeline, you have Noah Cates carving out a role as a very good defensive center primarily on the third line. After that, the Flyers lack a solid 2C of the future or even a solidified 1C.

In 2024, Macklin Celebrini is the headliner of the draft and would make for a perfect 1C for the franchise. Outside of him, the only other center with that kind of promise next summer is Berkley Catton. In 2025, there are more options for that. Starting off the draft in 2025 is probably Michael Misa, who was granted exceptional status for this past season to enter the OHL a year early. Some other top centers that could go in the top ten are James Hagens, Roger McQueen, and Masun Fleece.

Left Wing

As I mentioned above, Cutter Gauthier is our best prospect with a good amount of experience on the left side. Though he has been trying to transition him to the center position, with the lack of depth on that left side, he may need to stay there. The only other major names on the left side are Joel Farabee and Scott Laughton. Nic Deslauriers can also play on the left side too as a fourth-liner. With Scott Laughton seemingly at the end of his Flyers tenure, the left side is going to get even more shallow. If the Flyers keep Cutter on the left side, that forms a pretty good one-two punch with him and Farabee and possibly having Desnoyers slot in at that 3LW position, which only leaves that 4LW spot needing to be filled.

This upcoming draft has a headlining LW in Cole Eiserman. He is really the best shot at an elite LW that could push Gauthier to center in the 2024 Draft. The following year is also pretty light on LW prospects on the left side with Malcolm Spence being one of the few LWs pegged as going high in two years.

Right Wing

The right-wing is a position that the Flyers have a gluttony of players and prospects. Looking at the current core of RWs, the Flyers boast the likes of Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Wade Allison, Cam Atkinson, Bobby Brink, and Tyson Foerster pushing for a spot. Adding in the addition of Matvei Michkov, the Flyers don’t need to concern themselves with adding more talent at the right wing position. In fact, the Flyers are going to need to start trading them away or finding those who can switch to the left side. In five years, a RW core consisting of three of Michkov, Foerster, Tippett, and Konecny along with their 4RW could be deadly.

Though the Flyers shouldn’t load up on more RW talent, some top names in the 2024 Draft on the right wing include Ivan Demidov, who may be Michkov’s teammate and Konsta Helenius. The 2025 draft is pretty shallow in terms of top names right now, but the most well-known right-winger would be Porter Martone. Though, the Flyers probably won’t look at any of these guys with the abundance of players they have in this position.

Defense

Left Side

The left side is on that doesn’t need that much work. For this upcoming season, Cam York will be given every opportunity to prove what kind of defenseman he will be and given every chance to build on his performance last year and solidify himself as a top defenseman for the club. Behind him, there are veterans Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, and Marc Staal along with young guys like Yegor Zamula and Emil Andrae pushing for spots.

With the way the pipeline looks, the left side is not a big worry, but it wouldn’t hurt to strengthen it if the chance comes. Though, this upcoming draft is a defense-heavy draft. On the left side, top prospect Aron Kiviharju has been called the best defensive prospect since Rasmus Dahlin. And behind him are two more studs Sam Dickinson and Lane Hutson’s younger brother, Cole. Logan Hensler has made some noise for the 2025 Draft as well.

Right Side

The right side has been a weakness for the Flyers for years, probably even decades. They’re building it up, though. For this season, there will be Rasmus Ristolainen, Sean Walker, and Ronnie Attard fighting for spots. Attard is the only one that was drafted by the Flyers, but the pipeline is more interesting. In the same trade that got Sean Walker, the Flyers also got Helge Grans, who will play in the AHL this year but shows promise. There is also 2022 first-rounder Oliver Bonk. All have some solid potential, but none really scream first-pairing elite defenseman.

Besides Oliver Bonk this past year, the Flyers have only picked one right-handed defenseman in the first round ever, and that was Kevin McCarthy at 17th overall in 1977. That could, and should, change in 2024. Next year’s draft is deep for defense on both sides. Another top prospect is Artyom Levshunov. Yes, he’s Russian, but he is currently playing in the USHL, so the fear of him not being able to come over isn’t there. There is also Henry Mews and David Jiricek’s younger brother Adam. This should be a priority for Danny, as a top-notch RHD is just what the Flyers need.

Goalie

The goaltending situation is quite interesting. Carter Hart is still here, how much longer is anyone’s guess. Behind him is Cal Petersen from LA, along with Felix Sandstrom and Sam Ersson in the AHL. Felix Sandstrom was seen as a future backup but didn’t show as much as was expected of him in that role this past season, which led to Sam Ersson being able to shine. And Ersson shined so much in those first six games, that many fans believe he is the future of this franchise in net. In the pipeline, the Flyers have Ivan Fedotov, who may or may not be coming over, we just need to wait for the dust to settle there. There is also Alexei Kolosov, who has looked phenomenal and just signed with the Flyers and is projected to be in Philly for the 2024-25 season. And, of course, the Flyers picked two goalies this past draft in the top-ranked Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin.

While the goaltending position might seem to be filled and done, it’s never bad to invest in a good goaltending prospect. The two goalies making noise right now for this upcoming draft are Eemil Vinni and Eric Olsson. Neither are projected to be first-round picks, but both could be worth a look in the middle rounds. 2025 has one name that has a lot of noise, and that’s Gabriel D’Aigle. A projected first-rounder. If the Flyers can fill their holes in 2024 with a top RHD and a top-line center or LW, then maybe 2025 should bring another risk and draft a goalie high in the first round. The Flyers have only drafted two goaltenders in the first round, both 22nd overall. Those two are Brian Boucher and Maxime Ouellet.

As of July 11, 2023, the Flyers have two first-round picks in 2024 (albeit one is conditional, but the condition is that it’ll become a 2025 first if the Florida Panthers’ pick is in the top ten, which most likely doesn’t happen) and one in 2025. If the Flyers are able to get players like Macklin Celebrini and Artyom Levshunov in the first round next year and swing for Gabriel D’Aigle in 2025 we could see a starting lineup looking something like this* in five years time:

Gauthier-Celebrini-Michkov
Farabee-Frost-Foerster
Lycksell-Cates-Tippett
Wisdom-Desnoyers-Brink

York-Levshunov
Andrae-Grans
Zamula-Attard

D’Aigle
Fedotov/Ersson/Bjarnason

*it’s very hard to determine who exactly will be here in 2028-29, but this is just a mock-up based on who is in the system now and possible draft picks. Most likely some of these guys will be traded, didn’t work out, or left via free agency.

By Noah Caplan (@Phlyers24)
Photo credit: 6ABC