The Philadelphia Flyers are rebuilding… or at least they claim they are. They had a better-than-expected season which left their first round pick at 12th overall. Since they defied their own “rebuilding” logic, it means there should be some pressure on the organization heading into the draft to scope out a situation for them to move up. With 11 teams in front of them, which are likely to be selling their pick in the first place?
1) San Jose
The Sharks have been in all-out tank mode for the last few seasons, and achieved their goal of landing the first overall pick. The projected first pick is Macklin Celebrini, whose father works for the Golden State Warriors. Bringing in a top pick that has some correlation to the home town team is icing on the cake for the Sharks, so the odds they part ways with the selection are very close to zero.
2) Chicago
The Blackhawks are committed to rebuilding the right way, which means the draft is going to do a bunch of heavy lifting when it comes to their strategy. So unless the Flyers give them a package far exceeding the value of the second overall pick itself, they’re not prying it away from Chicago.
3) Anaheim
There is a slim chance the Ducks could be interested in dealing away their first round pick in the name of adding some key main roster pieces to finally get their rebuild back on track, but the tried and true theory of “smoke ’em if you got ’em” when it comes to top three picks is hard to break in the NHL draft.
4) Columbus
The Blue Jackets are nothing short of a mess. They’ve made various main roster moves that indicate an attempt towards winning, but coaching changes, injuries and a complete lack of chemistry have kept them in the basement of the NHL for the last few years. They did snag Adam Fantilli third overall last year, so they’ve clearly shown they’re willing to stock up on the top picks while they’re down, so expect them to pick fourth despite whatever it is they’re doing with the main roster.
5) Montreal
While Montreal seems to be eager to get past their drafting and development stage in their rebuild, potentially adding another top five pick to the résumé before the return to a competitive state could be in their future. Though if a decent package that offers immediate NHL help is offered, it has to be assumed they’d at least consider it.
6) Utah
Despite the location change, the Coyotes… er…. Not Coyotes… still have more picks and prospects than they know what to do with. They’ve got three first rounders this year alone. If the move to a new city motivates them to elevate the NHL-level product, then it’s possible the sixth overall pick could be in action via trade. Or the franchise can continue to hoard prospects and keep a basement-dwelling big league team, because at the end of the day, they’re still the Not Coyotes no matter what city they play in.
7) Ottawa
There has been some visible frustration from the Senators, who thought their days as a bottom-ten team in the league were over. With a coaching change and a potentially busy offseason ahead, one has to assume their seventh overall pick could be available. There have been some loose ties between the Flyers and Senators since the trade deadline when rumors about Jakob Chychrun popped up, so maybe a potential pick swap could be in play if the two teams reengage in discussions.
8) Seattle
After making it to the second round of the playoffs last year, the Kraken are once again deep down the standings. They’ve gone though a coaching change and are still, on the whole, a young and up-and-coming team, so it’s really 50/50 whether or not they consider moving their pick. It all depends on how committed to the immediate main roster they are, which with a GM like Ron Francis in charge, it’s a valid and rather unknown question.
9) Calgary
Calgary is stuck between a rebuild and attempting to remain relative, and with a pick that could be less valuable to them considering a star isn’t guaranteed, if they were smart they’d scan the trade scene first before making their selection. They are probably in the hunt for Tij Iginla, the son of franchise legend Jarome, so it’s possible they themselves are in the conversation to move up a spot or two if it means snagging a second generation Flame.
10) New Jersey
New Jersey was expected to be a beast in the east this season, but injuries and incompetent goaltending left them dead in the water. GM Tom Fitzgerald is probably going to be sitting in Vegas with a sign that says “will trade 10th overall pick for a goalie” in hopes that he can make sure this is his team’s last visit to the bottom 10 for a very long time.
11) Buffalo
There have been recent rumors that suggest the Sabres are willing to deal the 11th overall pick in search of main roster help as the franchise reaches a critical apex of their history. They haven’t made a postseason appearance since 2011 and are a bottom five team in attendance after years of spinning their wheels. Considering the perceived talent level in the first round possibly extends back to the 11th pick, a team could very well find value in their position, but it’s not nearly the value of what a pick just a few spots earlier could hold. For the Flyers, snagging the 11th overall pick while keeping the 12th could come in handy in two forms. They get two opportunities to land high-end prospects, or they have some decent ammo in an attempt to craft a swap with the Montreal or Columbuses of the world if they so choose.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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