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[Philadelphia Flyers]

How teams like Flyers with several draft picks in top 50 fared

The Philadelphia Flyers are the team of the 2025 NHL Draft with seven selections in the top 50 picks. The hopes of a top pick were dashed during the lottery when the lottery balls went the direction of the New York Islanders, leaving the Flyers with the sixth overall selection. Over the course of the NHL’s history, with drafts going as far back as the early ’60s, the seven selections that high isn’t an NHL record. And it actually ties a franchise record.

1990: Lots of picks, some later swapped for Big E​

In 1990, the Flyers entered the draft with seven selections in the top 50. But five of the seven picks were between the fortieth and the forty-seventh pick. Philadelphia’s highest pick that year (4th) was used to take Mike Ricci. The second round was where the team got busy with a few hits and a few clunkers: the late Chris Simon (25th). Mikael Renberg (40th), Terran Sandwith (42nd), Kimbi Daniels (44th), Bill Armstrong (46th), and Chris Therien (47th). Obvious Ricci, Simon, Renberg and Therien had rather lengthy NHL careers with Renberg and Therien making perhaps the most impact with the Flyers. Ricci would be part of the massive trade package (along with Simon) Philadelphia used to acquire Eric Lindros from the Nordiques.

Mikael Renberg, part of the Legion of Doom along with Lindros and John LeClair, scored 82 points his rookie season, one of six he spent with Philadelphia. The forward had 128 goals and another 168 helpers in 366 regular season games. As for Therien, he spent all but 11 games of his NHL career with the Flyers, with 29 goals and 130 assists. Sandwith played eight games with the Oilers. Armstrong never played an NHL game. Daniels played 27 games with Philadelphia, scoring once and getting two assists in 27 games.

Five of top eight in class of 1990 wore Flyers jersey​

Perhaps one of the more fascinating aspects of that 1990 draft was five of the top eight selections that year ended up playing for Philadelphia at some point in their careers. And four of the top five! Aside from Ricci, 2nd overall pick Petr Nedved played two partial seasons with the Flyers, scoring just six goals over 49 games. In six playoff games in 2005-06 he scored twice as the Flyers were eliminated in the first round by the Buffalo Sabres. The 1990 3rd overall pick was Keith Primeau, an integral part of the Flyers success in the regular season and the playoffs, scoring 34 goals in 2000-01 and scoring nine playoff goals in the Flyers 2004 playoff drive which ended in the Conference Finals, losing to Tampa Bay in seven games.

The 5th overall pick in 1990 was Jaromir Jagr. Jagr stunned Pittsburgh by signing a one-year deal with Philadelphia in 2011-12. Considered over the hill then, Jagr was a quality offensive threat, scoring 19 goals and adding 34 assists for 53 points. Jagr, now 53, is still playing professionally as this season was spent with the Kladno Knights of the Czech league. As for the 8th selection overall, Derian Hatcher (originally selected by Dallas) played three seasons for the Flyers from 2005-06 to 2007-08.

Three picks in first round? Happened several times since 2006​

The Flyers this upcoming draft also have three picks in Round One. Since the 2006 NHL Draft, 13 teams have had three first-round picks in one draft year. The first in recent memory was Edmonton who had three in the 2007 NHL Draft. The Oilers did okay with two of the three in terms of the player having a lengthy NHL career. Sam Gagner went 6th and Riley Nash went 21st. Alex Plante, who played 10 NHL games, went 15th. In 2011, Ottawa had three in the top 24 picks, taking Mika Zibanejad 6th, Stefan Noesen 21st and Matt Puempel three picks later.

The first round of the 2013 NHL Draft saw two teams with three picks apiece in the opening round. The Columbus Blue Jackets took Alex Wennberg with the 14th overall selection. Left winger Kerby Rychel went 19th, and center Marko Dano was taken 27th. Meanwhile, the Flames took center Sean Monahan 6th. The Flames chose Emile Poirier 22nd and Morgan Klimchuck 28th. Klimchuck played one NHL game, just seven fewer than Poirier did.

Bruins bomb back in 2015 ​

Perhaps the biggest draft run in the first round (and what appears to be one of the biggest collection of busts) was at the 2015 NHL Draft where the Bruins had three consecutive picks in the low to mid-teens after some draft-floor trades. Jakub Zboril was taken 13th, Jake DeBrusk went 14th, and Zachary Senyshyn went next. Just about every single fan base outside of Boston was terrified that they could walk away with players like Mat Barzal, Kyle Connor, of Thomas Chabot with those picks.

Thankfully, two of the three had little to no impact while DeBrusk has found a new home and goal-scoring touch with Vancouver this past year, scoring 28 times. The Bruins did a bit better their next three picks with Brandon Carlo going 37th and Jeremy Lauzon 52nd. Between Carlo and Lauzon, Boston took Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson 45th.

Vegas and expansion draft leverage​

The expansion Vegas Golden Knights pulled off a great ploy in getting three picks in the first round of the 2017 draft. Vegas used leverage against a handful of teams, basically stating if they didn’t acquire picks from specific teams they would simply pluck one of their players exposed during their expansion draft to create their roster. Winnipeg, Columbus, and the Islanders all traded their first round picks that year to essentially keep players from being selected. Vegas took Cody Glass 6th, Nick Suzuki 13th and defenseman Erik Brannstrom two picks later. A fourth pick (34th overall) was used for Nicolas Hague.

New York, New York​

The following year, the Rangers had three first-round picks but, like Boston in 2015, seemed to miss on two of them. Russian right winger Vitali Kravtsov was 9th overall, defenseman K’Andre Miller went 22nd and six picks later the Blueshirts took Swedish blueliner Nils Lundkvist. That year was the Rangers’ biggest splash in high draft picks since 2006. Meanwhile the Islanders have had some glut of picks, none bigger than 2008 where they had seven picks in the top 73. Two of those seven were great picks for long NHL careers: Josh Bailey (9th) and Travis Hamonic (53rd) while Aaron Ness (40th) played 72 games in the bigs. The other four — Corey Trivino, David Toews, Jyri Niemi, and Kirill Petrov — never played an NHL game.

In 2020, both New Jersey and Ottawa each had three first-rounders. The Devils took Alexander Holtz (7th), Dawson Mercer (18th), and Shakir Mukhamadullin (20th). Thus far Mercer has had the most impact. The Senators took Tim Stutzle (3rd), Jake Sanderson (5th), and Ridly Greig (28th), all of whom have been crucial in helping Ottawa get to the playoffs this season.

Since 2021, multiple teams with trio of picks same year​

The last three NHL Drafts have seen five teams with three first-round picks. In 2021 the Blue Jackets took Kent Johnson (5th), Cole Sillinger (12th), and Corson Ceulemans (25th). The following season saw Arizona, Buffalo, annd Chicago corner the opening round with nine picks between them. The Coyotes took Logan Cooley (3rd), Conor Geekie (11th), and Maveric Lamoureux (29th). Cooley looks to be the stud of those three but it’s early. As for Buffalo, Matthew Savoie (9th), Noah Ostlund (16th), and Jiri Kulich (28th) are looking more like prospects that didn’t amount to much. Chicago’s trio included Kevin Korchinski (7th), Frank Nazar (13th), and Sam Rinzel (25th). Again, probably too early to tell but Korchinski has almost 100 NHL games under his belt. Finally, the latest team with three first-rounders was in 2023 when the Blues took what they hope are future blue chip prospects: Dalibor Dvorsky (10th), Otto Stenberg (25th), and Theo Lindstein (29th)

Habs hog wild in early NHL Drafts​

In terms of most picks in the top 50 by one NHL club, that record is eight and belongs to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1971 draft. Montreal had the 1st overall pick, selecting future Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur. But like a lot of teams, the amount of picks didn’t always end up being home runs. Chuck Arnason was taken 7th and Murray Wilson (who played some time with the Habs) went 11th. Hall of Famer Larry Robinson was the twentieth selection but Michel DeGuise and Terry French were picked 24th and 25th, respectively. Jim Cahoon was the 31st pick before Montreal’s 8th pick in the top 45 was Ed Sidebottom. No, I never heard of him either.

In 1974, Montreal had seven picks in the top 50. But perhaps the most impressive feat the Canadiens pulled off was in 1968 where they had the first three overall picks. The three picks (Michel Plasse, Roger Belisle and Jim Pritchard) were far from great. Plasse played almost 300 NHL games while Belisle and Pritchard never played an NHL game between them. In 1969, Montreal had the top two picks, taking Rejean Houle and Marc Tardif, respectively. Both had decent careers in the NHL with Tardif’s heyday playing for the rival Quebec Nordiques, scoring 39 goals and 70 points in 1981-82.

Five or six picks around the Top 50? Yes!​

Since 2006, four teams have had five or more picks in or around the top 50. The Washington Capitals hit paydirt with Nicklas Backstrom 4th, Semyon Varlamov 23rd, and Michael Neuvirth 34th. Francois Bouchard (35th) and Keith Seabrook (52nd) amounted to nothing. St. Louis also hit home runs in their three first-rounders with Lars Eller (13th), Ian Cole (18th), and David Perron (26th). Eller and Perron have played over 1000 games each while Cole eclipsed the 900-game mark this season. The other two in the top 50 for St. Louis that year were Simon Hjalmarsson (39th) and Aaron Palushaj (44th) didn’t do much, the latter playing 68 games.

The Florida Panthers had six selections in the top 50 back in 2010. Erik Gudbranson (3rd), Nick Bjugstad (19th) were the picks that definitely panned out. Quinton Howard (25th) John McFarland (33rd), Alex Petrovic (36th) and Connor Brickley (50th) weren’t quite as effective as their top two choices. And in 2013 the Sabres had five in the first 52. Current Flyers blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen (8th) was Buffalo’s first pick. Nikita Zadorov (16th) was their second pick, and J.T Compher (35th) was their third. A decent crop of picks that to some extent panned out. Connor Hurley (38th) and Justin Bailey (52nd) didn’t pan out as well if at all.

Flyers’ past and Flyers’ future​

Aside from 1990, the next largest trove of picks Philadelphia had was six in 1978 where they had six, including the 6th and 7th overall slots. The Flyers took Behn Wilson 6th and pesky forward Ken Linseman 7th). The following three selections had at best a cup of coffee in the big leagues. Daniel Lucas (14th) had a goal in six games during the 1978-79 season. Michael Simurda (33rd) never played an NHL game nor did Gordon Salt (37th). Philadelphia selected Glen Cochrane with their sixth pick of the draft (50th). Cochrane was known as a tough guy and enforcer who racked up 329 penalty minutes with the Flyers in 1981-82 alone.

So, although the Flyers have seven picks in the top 50, it’s evident that the picks might not pan out, or ones taken later on could be far more important than those they currently hold in the top 25 (depending on what Edmonton and/or Colorado do in the playoffs). Ideally, some of the picks are blue chip prospects and the other selections are used to add some much-needed skill and talent, hopefully down the middle.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ers-with-several-draft-picks-in-top-50-fared/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers signing Sam Bennett would be disastrous mistake

The Philadelphia Flyers deciding to commit dollars and term to Sam Bennett in free agency would possibly be the worst mistake this team has made this millennium.

It is as it always is around this time of the hockey calendar. The fans of teams who are not involved in the conference finals are looking around at what their favorite hockey club can do this offseason to make their team better and maybe have them play hockey for a little bit longer than they did. It’s just so natural. Especially when one of the most coveted pending unrestricted free agents is still playing hockey and his team is barreling through to the Stanley Cup Final.

Sam Bennett is at the front of everyone’s mind. The 28-year-old center is playing the playoffs of his life — most recently scoring two goals and two assists in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes — and has most fans drooling over the possibility of him signing for their team. And that includes fans of the Philadelphia Flyers.

It feels like a somewhat easy suggestion to make. This team desperately needs someone capable of being a top-six center. Signing one in free agency would be easy. Who is available? Oh, it’s this Bennett guy who is scoring points right now. The frenzy even has writers who are paid a full-time salary to cover this team, to get all riled up and blush like a teenaged girl at the very thought of Bennett signing in Philadelphia. And scoffing at the notion that the Flyers might be better off signing the most talented forward to hit the open market since John Tavares decided to leave Long Island and go to his hometown team in Toronto seven years ago. This isn’t about Mitch Marner, though.

Let’s breakdown all the reasons why someone might say that the Flyers signing Bennett would be a good idea, though.

What is Bennett’s actual impact on the ice?​

Some people might say that Sam Bennett solves a lot of the Flyers’ problems down the middle. That is probably half-true. He certainly can play a whole lot of minutes at center, but considering his best years were behind the two-way god of Aleksander Barkov, he has been able to get away with less responsibility overall. Bennett in Philadelphia would have to be The Guy and would take on much more than anyone possibly could and he could return to the level of play he had in Calgary (not great).

Even looking at Bennett’s production, do you really see a top-six center than is capable of taking on that all-situations play? His best season point-wise was just last season with a whopping 25 goals and 51 points in 76 games. That is fairly decent for someone averaging less than 18 minutes a game during the regular season. But, when looking at what some Flyers did during this past season that was considered an offensive drought when Matvei Michkov or Travis Konecny wasn’t on the ice, it’s not too far off.

Sean Couturier — the player that a large section of Flyers fans want banished from this team because his contract is such a burden — scored 15 goals and 45 points last season while averaging even fewer minutes than Bennett did. And he didn’t get the gift of playing on Florida’s power play like Bennett did (and score seven of his 25 goals on that man advantage).

Even looking further down the lineup, Noah Cates is just starting to really hit his stride and is considerably better defensively than Bennett, and the 26-year-old even managed to put up 37 points — with a whole three of them coming on the power play. And even Cates is just playing center because he can, and in an ideal world would be on the wing — and even he managed to not be too far behind in Bennett in overall impact.

In this hypothetical world, Bennett would be essentially pushing Cates out of the projected top six on the Flyers and everything would get dramatically better, right?

While it’s just another piece of information and not the absolute top thing to take into consideration, when looking at the overall and isolated impact card provided by HockeyViz, we see that Cates provided so much more value than Bennett did this past season, in almost every single area of the game of hockey. Offensively, Bennett might have been better on the power play with a whole plus-1 above league average impact, but Cates balances that out with his even-strength offense. And then defensively, it’s a world of difference. Eleven whole percentage points of difference, and with Bennett taking the edge in penalty kill. But even when it comes to finishing talent and the ability to not take penalties like Cates has, it’s an easy swing in the current and younger Flyer.

We’re not saying that the Flyers have the better player right now, but it’s an important note to not just want the shiny guy who is still playing hockey on a very good team.

What would Bennett possibly cost?​

According to Evolving-Hockey’s contract projection model, Bennett’s most likely contract signed in unrestricted free agency if he doesn’t re-sign with the Panthers, is a seven-year deal with a cap hit just above $7.5 million. That’s a very solid chunk of change, even if the salary cap ceiling is going to dramatically rise in the next few years. It

Even considering a player we have already talked about in Sean Couturier, his deal goes on for five more seasons at approximately $7.75 million per year on the Flyers’ cap. Do you really want centers like Couturier and Bennett taking up over $15 million of your available salary cap? Fifteen million dollars committed to two players who, ideally, aren’t even playing on the top forward line when this team is good again.

And all of this doesn’t even take recency bias and the Hockey Men falling in love with all the extra curriculars that Bennett provides. In the real world, it wouldn’t be completely out of the question for Bennett’s contract to have a cap hit over $8.5 million. Lots and lots of dollars committed to a not-so impactful center beyond bashing people’s brains in and handing out concussions like he’s a Jehovah’s Witness. Knocking on every door of the neighborhood and then running whoever answers head-first into the nearest brick wall.

The Grit of It All​

We get it. We all want the Philadelphia Flyers to play with a little bit of an edge and for opposing teams to loathe facing them. That is totally understandable. No one can really deny that they would like that, too.

But shouldn’t that be a priority later in the whole roster building process? The Flyers sort of need someone to put the puck into the back of the net beyond their Russian phenom and a handful of other guys. Physicality and grit are attributes that are certainly valued around here, but not when those are the calling cards of the player and otherwise, they’re putting up numbers similar to centers you already have or could have for much cheaper.

Bennett isn’t the only player that can bring an edge and even then, it is much easier to make it a team-wide mentality instead of depending on one player who is about to be past his prime, to do all the heavy lifting for you.

And especially when it comes to Bennett and where he plays.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of brain power to think of Colin Campbell working for the NHL, being one of the most connected men in hockey, and his son Gregory Campbell being the Panthers’ assistant general manager. The same Colin Campbell who everyone knows would be a massive thorn in the side of his corworkers if anything doesn’t go his son’s way — because he has done it before. So, they deal with the Panthers with a slightly lighter touch. That eventually results in players like Bennett being able to play on much more of an edge than the rest of the league.

It is not too crazy to think that if Bennett didn’t play hockey for the Panthers, that he would be suspended a whole lot more and suddenly isn’t even on the ice enough to be of value to his new team. Bennett has done so many dirty plays over his career that were questionable, there is an entire Twitter thread about it that is miles long. Do you not think that if he was wearing Orange and Black, that the results would be different?

The timing of the signing​

So, what does signing Bennett really do? The very idea of it doesn’t even really feel like it’s about Bennett himself. It’s that the Flyers have a desperate need and these people are sick and tired of this rebuild being executed over multiple years. They need progress right now — right now! — and the easiest way is not to think of trades or developing young prospects, but to just sign a guy who is going to turn 30 years old before the 2026-27 season.

We have heard several dozen times from every single Flyers executive that they are eyeing the 2026 offseason as the opportunity to really improve and turn a corner. At most, this summer would be addressing some needs without much commitment. Maybe a top-six center who wouldn’t mind being a trade chip at the deadline after signing a one-year deal, and ideally a goaltender who is capable of scoring nine out of every 10 shots he faces. The largest impact move we could reasonably see them doing is going out to trade for a young center who has multiple years of control and the other team already has established players ahead of him on their depth chart. A dude just waiting for the right chance and could be had for fairly cheap.

Those are the types of small, less committal changes that are much more realistic than the Flyers just dropping a cartoonishly large sack of cash for a player who feels more like a finishing piece on a Cup-contending team, than a core part of it.

If this was a Flyers team with that amount of cap space available and no other changes needed to be made? A Flyers team that just needs a middle-six center to open up some ice for their several skilled forwards already on their roster? This would be a fine addition, given the right situation.

Now is not the time for the Flyers to be going for this. Would be the ultimate cart-before-the-horse move.

Ultimately, the Flyers possibly signing Bennett would be committing themselves to not improving. They would be committing themselves to being a bubble playoff team for the foreseeable future because they immediately become so much less flexible and for a player that might not even be all that impactful.

It would be the worst mistake they have made in years. Several years. Maybe even dozens of years. But sure, go ahead and write about how much you think Bennett would be the key addition to this team instead of the winger who just scored over 100 points and will be a Selke finalist for years to come. Sure, man.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ning-sam-bennett-would-be-disastrous-mistake/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Friday Morning Fly By: Let’s go long weekend!

*Big news from the National Hockey League: the Toronto Maple Leafs have made their first of what will surely be a million moves this summer as they try to figure out why they can’t beat Brad Marchand! [AP]

*Anyway, the Flyers. Speaking of summer moves let’s talk about the stage that’s set for Danny Briere heading into silly season. What’s the cap space looking like, who needs a contract, etc. [Inquirer]

*Here’s hoping Rick Tocchet likes everyone that plays for his new hockey team, but we think he’s DEFINITELY going to love these five dudes. [BSH]

*Player grades continue with a look at Ivan Fedotov, who… you know, did his best. [BSH]

*Memorial Cup kicks off soon and here’s what you, dear Flyers fan, should know heading in. [Inquirer]

*And these are the prospects you’ll want to keep an eye on generally, if you’re going to be enjoying the tournament. [ESPN]

*And finally, in something that may be relevant to your interest, the latest on this summer’s top 12 RFAs. [Sportsnet]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/friday-morning-fly-by-lets-go-long-weekend/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Comparing Flyers’ 50-year Cup drought to other championship droughts

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Flyers winning their second (and thus far last) Stanley Cup, defeating the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 to win the series in Buffalo in six games. That’s six trips to the Stanley Cup Finals ago (Montreal, Islanders, Edmonton, Edmonton, Detroit and Chicago if anyone is wondering who they lost to), more than any other club who are currently in a lengthy drought. A half-century is a lot of time, but in North American professional sports (and even the National Hockey League), they are championship droughts that have gone on longer and have almost been as painful to endure. And some British soccer fans might think 50 years was just yesterday compared to their misfortune, but more on that later.

Let’s first look at the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup drought champions remain the Toronto Maple Leafs, now going into their next season not having won the trophy in 58 years. They have also now gone 61 years without winning the President’s Trophy for top team over the regular seasons (including a few of those when there were only six teams in the NHL!).

Second on the list is the Sabres, who stand at 54 seasons without winning it all. Buffalo also holds a few other dubious achievements when it comes to losing, having gone 14 seasons without making the playoffs, and 18 seasons without making it into the second round. Also tied for second on the Cup drought list is Vancouver, who came into the NHL the same season as Buffalo but has been searching ever since. At least Vancouver and Buffalo have made it to the Cup finals in recent memory, something Toronto hasn’t done since they won it all in 1967.

So as badly as it’s felt for the Flyers, in hockey there are teams who have had it worse. But in the four leagues of North American professional sports, some are still having it much worse. In the National Basketball Association, six teams have a drought that is longer than the Flyers. None of these are longer than the Sacramento Kings, who have now gone 74 years without not just an NBA championship, but a trip to the NBA Finals. Sacramento hasn’t had all of the woes, as the franchise has had stops in Rochester, Cincinnati, Omaha and two stints in Kansas City before heading to California. In second place is the Atlanta Hawks, who have gone 67 years without a win. Their last win was before they were even in Atlanta, and known as the St. Louis Hawks. Rounding out the top five is Phoenix (56 years), the Los Angeles Clippers (54 years) and the New York Knicks (51 years).

Major League Baseball have three teams currently who are longer in the tooth regarding championships than the Flyers. Topping the list is Cleveland who have gone 76 seasons without a World Series championship. They had a chance to break the drought in 2016, but lost to the Chicago Cubs (who broke a 107-year drought defeating Cleveland in a thrilling extra-inning, seventh-game tilt). Two other teams, both of which broke into the league at the same time, remain without a World Series championship now standing at 56 years: the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Diego Padres. In fourth for futility lies the Seattle Mariners at 48 years (who haven’t got to the World Series), and Pittsburgh at 45 years.

The National Football League have a four-way tie for its longest Super Bowl drought, each of them at 59 years. Detroit, Minnesota, Buffalo and Atlanta have all played nearly six decades without holding a Super Bowl parade or the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings might be in the realm of feeling the Flyers’ pain as they’ve each appeared in four Super Bowls only to lose each and every time. Buffalo’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXV was soul-crushing as kicker Scott Norwood just missed a potential game-winning field goal with eight seconds left. Three other NFL teams (or cities) are currently over the half-century mark awaiting a championship: Cincinnati (57 years), Cleveland (56 years split over two Cleveland teams) and Houston (54 years split between the Oilers and the present-day Texans).

Across the pond, in English soccer, there are a bevy of teams who are still waiting to win a championship, but there are five teams (in different tiers or divisions of play across the country) who currently have droughts of 90 years or more. Fifth is Sheffield Wednesday, who last won the FA Cup in 1935, 90 years ago. In fourth, Huddersfield is also nearing the century mark having won the top-flight championship in England back in 1926. Meanwhile in third is Cardiff City, who won the FA Cup in 1927, or 98 years ago. A full century has come and gone since another Sheffield team, this one Sheffield United, last won the FA Cup in 1925. But topping the list at an almost comical (or tragic) gap is Notts County. That club has gone 131 years since winning the FA Cup back in 1894 (the same year the first Stanley Cup championship was held with Montreal defeating Ottawa).

So, keep your chin up Flyers faithful, a lot more sports teams have had it worse. But two things are certain. If the Flyers go another 50 years before they hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup, it will be a huge celebration in the vein of the Cubs victory in 2016. Secondly, if they Flyers go 131 years between Stanley Cups, you probably won’t be reading about it. And I certainly won’t be writing about it.

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Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...r-cup-drought-other-championship-nhl-nba-mlb/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Ian Laperriere moves into Flyers Hockey Operations advisory role

After amicably parting with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last week, former Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere has joined the Flyers as an advisor to Hockey Operations.

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that Ian Laperriere will rejoin the organization as an advisor to Hockey Operations. https://t.co/jDdDnw762B

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 27, 2025

Laperriere will be an advisor to both Flyers General Manager Danny Briere and President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones. “I want to thank Ian for his tireless work in Lehigh Valley for the last four seasons,” Briere said in a statement today. “He not only led the Phantoms in a return to the playoffs, but provided crucial development to several of our prospects. I am excited to welcome him back to the Flyers so he can continue to provide his insight in helping our team as we enter the next phase of the rebuild.”

Lehigh Valley Phantoms owners Jim Brooks and Rob Brooks thanked Laperriere for the time and effort with the Phantoms. “On behalf of the entire Phantoms organization, we thank Lappy for his incredible dedication and passion,” they said in a statement. “He has given so much to the Lehigh Valley and we are grateful for that. We look forward to continuing to work with Lappy in his new advisory role.”

There were indications last week that Laperriere could be seeking a new position in the NHL either as a head coach or an assistant coach. However, the Flyers also left the door open that he could remain in the organization in a different role. Laperriere led the Phantoms this past season to the playoffs, defeating Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a play-in round before taking the two-time defending Calder Cup champions Hershey Bears to a fifth and deciding game earlier this month.

The Flyers will begin their coaching search for the Phantoms immediately, as they look towards landing a successor for Laperriere. Laperriere will join a handful of other former Flyers in an advisor role within Hockey Operations. According to the listed personnel within the organization, “senior advisors” include Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Bob Murray, Paul Holmgren and Dean Lombardi. Both John LeClair and Patrick Sharp are “special advisors” to Hockey Operations.

The Laperriere news comes on the same day the New Jersey Devils officially announced former Flyers assistant coach Brad Shaw as their new assistant coach. Shaw was on the Flyers’ short-list of head coaching candidates before Philadelphia decided on Rick Tocchet.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-into-flyers-hockey-operations-advisory-role/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers reportedly interested in Wild’s Marco Rossi

The Philadelphia Flyers need a young, top-six center more than any hockey team in the world needs anything. Could they find their answer on the Minnesota Wild?

Marco Rossi’s name has come up in trade rumors for at least the last 12 months. The 23-year-old Wild center has been seen as on his way out of Minnesota since the team doesn’t view him as the high-end center that they want to build a lineup around that he could have been when drafted ninth overall back at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Now a pending restricted free agent, the Wild need to make their decision to either push him around and get him to sign short-term contracts that walk him to free agency, consistently having this push-and-pull between a player that deserves a larger role and a team that doesn’t think he’s anything more than a bottom-six center if not playing with Kirill Kaprizov. Or, commit to him with a long-term contract. With that choice looming, Wild general manager Bill Guerin might just pull his parachute and decide to trade the young center and get a player that is more in their own image.

This has caused endless trade rumors and speculation — and confirmation from The Athletic’s Michael Russo that it is more than a possibility that Rossi is playing in a different organization before next season. And now, a recent report from RG Media’s Jimmy Murphy has connected the Philadelphia Flyers to Rossi, listing them as one of the teams interested in acquiring the 23-year-old Austrian center.

Per @MurphysLaw74 Marco Rossi is very much on the block for the Minnesota Wild, with chatter expected to pick up next week.

Flyers, Sabres, Penguins and Blackhawks are among the teams to have already shown interest, with the field expected to expand. https://t.co/IDQevGjf2j

— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) May 28, 2025​

Based on conversations with numerous NHL sources, the Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Seattle Kraken have all expressed interest in acquiring Rossi.

“For whatever reason—I think maybe he just doesn’t fit the Guerin mold—there doesn’t seem to be a fit there in Minnesota,” another NHL source told RG. “Whatever it is, there’s a market for him right now. I think some teams see him as a real middle-six guy with a lot of upside. He may not be as physical as you’d like, but the skill is there.”
— Jimmy Murphy, RG.org

It’s not the first time the Flyers have been interested in Marco Rossi. According to reports, when the Flyers were very quietly trying to trade then-prospect Cutter Gauthier for a player of his equal, the Wild were very interested. And discussions surrounded on getting Rossi as part of the package in return for the maligned fifth-overall selection. Of course, the entire picture is not clear whether or not the Flyers were the first ones to name Rossi in the trade discussions or not, but there is history here.

We previously went over the pros and cons of the Flyers trading for Marco Rossi.

Rossi would solve a lot of issues for the Flyers. He is listed at just 5-foot-9 but doesn’t play like it whatsoever. A heavy forechecker with more speed than a whole lot of top-six centers in the NHL, Rossi can punish a team’s defense. He can elevate a skilled player — like he did when he was playing with Kirill Kaprizov during his Hart Trophy-earning run earlier last season — or provide a stable offensive force in the middle six.

He might not be the Flyers’ ideal option as a top-six center partnered with Jett Luchanko, considering both centers are under six feet tall. But both happen to play an ultra-aggressive style that can be exactly the way this team wants to play, especially under new head coach Rick Tocchet. He would check a whole lot of boxes, so we’ll see where this goes.

Considering the Wild are nowhere near in need of future assets, the Flyers might be the only team that can offer long-term NHL players that are interested in Rossi. The Blackhawks have no one but prospects; the Penguins have no prospects and unless the Wild are interested in Rickard Rakell, they have no hope; the Buffalo Sabres might be in competition but who knows if the Wild want their miscast young players; and the Kraken are too conservative to move anyone of merit for Rossi.

It feels like the right situation for the Flyers to take advantage of.

In his second consecutive season where he played all 82 games — impressive after having an early-career health scare with COVID — he scored 24 goals and 60 points while averaging 18:15 TOI.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...s-reportedly-interested-in-wilds-marco-rossi/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Thursday Morning Fly By: Getting rowdy for Rossi

*Bil Guerin absolutely hates Marco Rossi and will not keep it a secret and as such, the rumors are a-swirlin’. And the Flyers are involved. Giddy up. [BSH]

*As has been said a million times, Danny will need to explore every available pool of talent as he tries to build this team through something other than top-of-the-draft picks, and one of those pools is the one filled with European UFAs. [PHLY]

*Related, the latest ranking of regular old NHL UFAs dropped yesterday. Tiers and such. [ESPN]

*Hey remember that time the Flyers traded future Hall of Fame goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky? They should try to avoid that kind of blunder again, huh? [Inquirer]

*In addition to roster moves, Danny B. has a decision to make about who will be the guy charged with developing the pool of talent we’ll have entering the AHL next season. We’ve got some ideas. [BSH]

*Next up on the Community Draft Board at 28th overall is a kid that works his butt off every time he hits the ice, which sounds Very Flyers. [BSH]

*Speaking of draft things, the latest mock from Pronman came out yesterday and this one is less what he thinks will happen, more what he would personally do if he were in charge. So take the grains of salt etc. [The Athletic]

*And finally, in a decision that will come as a surprise to few, Russia and Belarus are still barred from Olympic participation. No Matvei in the tourney stinks. [Inquirer]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/thursday-morning-fly-by-getting-rowdy-for-rossi/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Latest on Flyers’ rumored trade discussions for Marco Rossi

The Philadelphia Flyers are aiming to improve this summer. General manager Danny Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones have said multiple times to the media and just the public in general, that the time of them shedding players in this rebuild is over. They have their eyes set on adding talent to this roster. And, according to a recent report, one addition could be young Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi.

It’s been a long time of this player and team being connected. First, the Minnesota Wild aren’t fully in love with the idea of Rossi being a long-term option as a top-six center. They have Joel Eriksson Ek already taking the top spot and it sure seems like they want to bank on younger prospect Danila Yurov, who just signed his entry-level contract, as more of a player in their own image compared to Rossi. Mix that with the young Austrian center being a restricted free agent this summer and wanting to sign for multiple years for some security but the Wild being cautious of that, and you now get the team that drafted him ninth overall potentially dealing him before he turns 24 years old.

When it comes to the Flyers, they have kept tabs on the player. Rossi’s name came up when the Wild were heavily interested in Cutter Gauthier when Philadelphia was dealing with that whole issue surrounding their former prospect in January 2024 before eventually dealing him to the Anaheim Ducks. So, the Flyers kept Rossi in the Orange and Black in the back of their mind.

Fast forward to this Wednesday and with the rumors surrounding Rossi’s availability beginning to get louder and louder, one report linked the Flyers as a team that is once again interested in acquiring the young center. And it makes perfect sense. A 23-year-old center that just scored 60 points is not normally available, and it just so happens that he would potentially fix Philadelphia’s largest issue on its roster.

The very next day — because we’re taking this journey in chronological order of course — the noise got even louder. Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco posted on Twitter that there is not a fit between the Flyers and Rossi, noting that the Wild want young winger Tyson Foerster or one of the Flyers’ later first-round picks.

Re. Marco Rossi: I don't think there is a fit w/ PHI at this time. Speaking with sources, the #MNWild    would want Tyson Foerster or one of PHI's late 1sts; PHI has no interest in either.

Rossi's contract demands are said to be "too much" for either team.@DailyFaceoff

— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) May 29, 2025​

Just hours after this was posted, the Flyers re-signed Foerster to his bridge contract and we all know that the team loves him too much to trade him away for really any player similar to his level.

The first-round picks mentioned would be either the 22nd overall pick that the Flyers own from the Colorado Avalanche, or the pick that the Flyers grabbed from the Edmonton Oilers that could be anywhere from 30th to 32nd overall this June. That’s it, apparently.

After Di Marco’s quasi report, Anthony SanFilippo who added more contextual information. He backed the notion that both Foerster and one of the later 2025 first-round picks are not assets that the Flyers want to give up for Rossi. SanFilippo also added that while the Wild could be interested in acquiring something like one of the first-round picks, Minnesota did not specifically ask for that in return for Rossi, which is crucially important.

Discussions have happened between the Wild and Flyers regarding Rossi, but it sure sounds like no offers or even hypothetical offers have been tabled. That is where we are currently at. The Flyers did not officially reject an offer of Rossi for one of those first-round picks, but all we know that according to someone around the Flyers, that they would not want to part with that asset for Marco Rossi.

Which now leaves us asking questions. Mainly, why and how are we hearing about this and what could the source mean.

Looking further into the reports​

Let us ponder just a little bit. Spill out a bunch of thoughts onto the digital page.

So, all of this information sure sounds like it is coming from the Flyers. But, as we all know, the Flyers are an organization that keeps everything as close to their vest as possible. The trades that we have seen come to fruition typically get reported out of nowhere by Elliotte Friedman and then minutes later confirmed by the team or one of the premier sources for anything Flyers. Any notable trade that has happened with Danny Briere and Keith Jones in charge did not have reporting stretched over multiple days but rather came together quickly.

Which all begs the question: Why are we hearing about this?

We don’t doubt the validity of these reports at all. But, maybe it is some sort of public negotiation going on. That’s just a theory. The Flyers let it be known that they don’t really view Rossi as a player worth trading a first-round pick for, which might cause other teams to doubt their own valuation and try to get him for less, for the Flyers to swoop in with the best offer which might be one of those picks, or multiple of their several second-round picks. Something like that. It just feels like these reports were purposefully laid out there for everyone to grab onto and make it seem like Rossi is going to go for a lot less in a trade than everyone was expecting.

Because all of this feels like a whole lot of information is missing. As every single person online came to the conclusion that the Flyers didn’t want to part with a 30th-overall pick for a 23-year-old center that just scored 60 points, that doesn’t feel right. First-round picks get thrown around — especially in this shallow 2025 NHL Draft — for just everyday players at the trade deadline and would be moved for less controllable assets than players like Rossi. Something is just not adding up. Every single team would make a deal like that.

It’s either the Flyers have something else planned for those picks — maybe wanting to move up in the round for whichever top prospect undeservingly falls, or as part of a package for an even better young center than Rossi — or we are only seeing a teeny tiny part of this trade discussion and what assets could be involved.

Marco Rossi could still be a Flyer, but maybe we should wait until something concrete happens to judge anything to do with this front office. If it comes out that it really was as simple as the Flyers rejecting the Wild for wanting the 30th-overall pick for Rossi, then we will happily be critical of the team. Right now, we’re just putting everything on pause until some sort of move is made.

As always, there is always a reason why we are hearing a report about the Flyers at a certain time and what the source is.

Never a dull moment.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ews-trade-rumors-discussions-for-marco-rossi/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Jacob Gaucher joins the mix

What a season it’s been for Jacob Gaucher. He began the season with a clear task ahead of him to work to solidify his place as a lineup regular for the Phantoms in his second season with the team, and while we might have expected this to be a slower chipping away towards that status, Gaucher came in for this season and absolutely took off running. Building on his solid defensive game, which was a hallmark for him from the start, and seeing his scoring game snap into place suddenly, Gaucher got off to a start to the season so hot that he not only earned himself a place playing at the top of the Phantoms’ lineup, but earned himself an entry level contract with the Flyers as well, moving him also into the legitimate prospect group — albeit as a slightly older one.

Gaucher made his proper introduction to Flyers fans this season, with this new role (and a couple of cups of coffee earned up with the big club over the season, to boot) and showed some intriguing potential.

Games played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Shots on goal	Shooting percentage
70	20	18	38	47	138	14.5

We alluded to Gaucher coming alive on the scoresheet this season to a pretty significant degree already, and while scoring certainly isn’t everything, this was a major development for Gaucher. Because, in his rookie season, though he saw his role more limited, playing in just 59 games, he only managed to score eight goals and 16 points over that span of time. This season, Gaucher was able to surpass that goal output by December 10, and pass the points output by the 14th, just two games later.

Now, he did come back down to earth some through the back half of the season, scoring 16 points in the final 39 games of the season once the calendar turned to 2025 — a respectable enough total, given the struggles the team found over a good portion of that same span, and probably more or less marks the low end of what one might actually reasonably expect as an output from Gaucher. All the same, even if the lower end of this season’s productivity level is what Gaucher brings going forward, that’s still a notable step forward, and speaks well to the work that he put in over the offseason — it was a pretty complete reframing of his approach to the game, recognizing that he can allow himself to be more engaged on the offensive side without losing his effectiveness defensively, which he’s prided himself on so much.

Games Tracked	Corsi-For %	Scoring Chances-For %	High Danger Attempts-For %	Primary Shot Assists	Secondary Shot Assists
20	56.41	58.90	60.23	13	6

That big step forward as far as the counting stats go is supported by a very solid underlying process. The Phantoms did well on the whole to drive play well as a collective, but even with that baseline set, when Gaucher was on the ice, they were still consistently in even more favorable positions. That is, across those 20 games tracked, the Phantoms were getting around three percent higher than their average of the share of shot attempts, scoring chances, and high danger chances when Gaucher was out there, had the ice tilting even more significantly in their favor. The fact that they were so dominant in his minutes is even more impressive, too, when we take into account the difficulty of the minutes he was being given — a higher volume of minutes in general, but particularly in situations like going up against their opponents’ top lines, in defensive zone starts, and so on. Gaucher served as something of a workhorse for the Phantoms in those difficult minutes across the whole of the season, and it’s a role that he clearly not just held his own in, but flourished in.

Three Questions​

Did he live up to expectations?

Coming into this season, the expectations weren’t especially high for him. After all, his rookie season with the team was fine, if somewhat unspectacular, and marked by periods when the coaching staff couldn’t really find a good fit for him in the lineup. Gaucher spent a majority of that season toiling away in the bottom-6, or up in the press box, while working to get a handle on the league. It’s a tremendous credit to him, then, that he was able to come in for this season with a changed approach, and got himself to the point where there was no way that he could be taken out of the lineup. As we saw, it wasn’t the most consistent of production that he brought this season, but it was still a huge step forward, and it went a long way to giving his game a real extra dimension, and solidifying him as a true and good pro.

What would we like to see him improve on next season?

As we sort of acknowledged earlier, the Gaucher that we saw down the stretch into the playoffs is more the Gaucher that we expect to see going forward, at least as far as the offense is concerned. There might well still be some room for him to continue to build in this area, to find some more consistency, but his toolkit and his resume up to this point suggest that he’s probably closer to a 30-point scorer at this level (though certainly with potential for more if he sees a team effects boost next season). As such, the feeling we’re carrying into next season is more in the lane of appreciating the offense he can bring as something of a nice bonus, but acknowledging that his defensive impacts are going to be the even more valuable piece of the equation, and that bit he already has well locked down.

The real area where Gaucher could do well to improve is his skating. There’s a lot that works well in his game, and he’s done some good work to develop his instincts and his positioning to help offset the fact that he’s not able to bring a ton of speed to his game, but the lack of speed does still present as an issue at times, particularly on a team with a whole host of speedy wingers (and with more on the way). If Gaucher is able to put in some more targeted work over the summer to add a step heading into next season, it would go a long way to help him gel better with a larger pool of potential linemates, to support their offense to an even greater degree.

What can we expect from him next season?

Next season is going to be an interesting one for Gaucher, to be sure, in part because he certainly earned himself a lot of leeway this past year through how deeply he endeared himself to his head coach, and now with Laperriere not returning to the coaching staff, it’s back to square one. Now, that said, it’s back to square one for everyone, and Gaucher has built up a game that seems like it would endear it to any coach at that level, but it will be interesting to see how quickly he’s able to rebuild his stock under his new head coach.

And it’s stock that we do expect him to rebuild, at the end of the day. The Phantoms will have some additions coming their way to start the season, but it won’t give them a huge boost at the center position, still. This will likely make for another season where Gaucher is given a high volume of high-leverage minutes, playing a significant role at even strength, as well as on the penalty kill (though his role on the power play will be a little more uncertain). The coaching change does change the equation to some degree, but Gaucher has carved out a big role for himself on this team, and we don’t expect this to change significantly.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/jacob-gaucher-joins-the-mix/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Helge Grans rises to the occasion

Keeping with our theme of players who found their games in pretty significant ways during the 2024-25 season, we arrive at the newly extended Helge Grans.

Grans came in for his second season with the Phantoms (and fourth in the AHL), still a bit unpolished, still looking for his role at the North American professional level. But as a testament to his work put in and willingness to push through the difficult parts of the development arc, he built his game back up and even managed to leverage a very strong start to the season in the AHL into a cup of coffee with the big club in the NHL. There’s a lot of work to be done still, but Grans has finally gotten things moving in the right direction again.

Games played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Shots on goal	Shooting percentage
66	8	15	23	42	125	6.4

The one area where his step forward is most immediately evident is on the stat line. While not absolutely tops in scoring among defensemen on the team (those honors fall on Louie Belpedio for points, and Ethan Samson for goals), Grans settled in well in the third spot on the ranking and showed up nicely as another option to contribute some offense from the back end. Grans’s eight goals and 23 points, too, are a huge step up from the last season, wherein he only scored one goal and eight points total.

It’s clear that as of this season, Grans is really starting to feel comfortable at this level, more confident with the puck, and the offense is beginning to come alive as a result. A big part of his success has come as he’s gotten better at finding lanes to get his shots all the way through to the net, but also just by virtue of the fact that he’s shooting more frequently (he’s up to 1.89 shots per game from 1.53 last season). It isn’t a massive uptick, but it’s enough to make a difference. The Phantoms have at times this past season leaned a bit too heavily on offense from the perimeter, but on the whole, Grans has been pretty notably choosing his spots well.

Games Tracked	Corsi-For %	Scoring Chances-For %	High Danger Attempts-For %	Primary Shot Assists	Secondary Shot Assists
17	55.90	55.60	49.30	6	3

The underlying impacts for Grans are a bit of a wild mixed bag. On the one hand, the Phantoms were generally in a good spot when Grans is on the ice, getting the better of the share of overall shot attempts as well as scoring chances (coming from the sort of home plate area of the ice), keeping right up with the team average in both of those metrics. But then we see the differential of high danger chances swings well below the team average when Grans is on the ice, suggesting that while he’s able to help drive positive results from the perimeter on the ice, he’s getting caved in a bit in the areas right around the net, so that’s certainly an area in need of shoring up.

Three Questions​

Did he live up to expectations?

The expectations for Grans heading into last season, in truth, were a bit undefined. Brought into the mix as a piece in the three-way trade which ultimately sent Ivan Provorov to Columbus, Grans was something of an intriguing candidate for a reclamation project — after a strong rookie year with the Reign in the COVID-shortened, taxi squad diminished season in 2021-22, he followed up with an underwhelming sophomore season in the Kings’ organization. Still a bit raw to begin with, it was going to take some real time and work to rebuild his game at the pro level, and Grans’s first season with the Phantoms was fine enough, if somewhat unspectacular. It was a step forward, to be sure, but not a huge one, and not one which allowed him to make a lot of headway in climbing up the organizational depth chart.

There was a feeling, then, that if Grans was going to show something to make his case to stick around in this organization, it had to be now, whatever it was. And, all in all, Grans delivered on that need. He brought a more complete game on the whole, taking a step forward in the scoring as we saw, but also settling in with his defensive coverages to a greater degree. It’s still all a work in progress, but he’s getting things moving in the right direction again, and has carved out a nice role for himself with the team. It’s a good reminder, if nothing else, of how much developmental runway he still has ahead of him — despite having completed his fourth year in the AHL, he’s still just 23 years old. It’s taken him a while to find his footing in the league, but it’s all understandable when the age is taken into account.

What would we like to see him improve on next season?

While he made some positive strides last season, there are still some areas in his game the need working on. There was a pretty collective struggle for the Phantoms (on an on and off basis) as far as their awareness in the defensive zone was concerned — we suspect some of this was system, or lack thereof, based — and Grans certainly had his moments when his defensive reads (particularly in-zone) weren’t as sharp as we might have liked to see. The hope is that with more reps in the league, with more experience, he’ll get more comfortable and it will become more instinctive, knowing what to do on these plays coming at him.

There’s also some polishing that we’d like to see him doing on the offensive side of the puck as well. He’s doing better at getting shots through from the point, but we’d like to see him getting a little more involved as far as activating in the offensive zone goes. Some of this will depend on the new system, to be sure, but it’s clear that Grans has some good offensive instincts, it’s just a matter of him getting more confident to jump in more frequently.

What can we expect from him next season?

Next season is going to be an interesting one for Grans. For starters, with the possibility still very much alive that Rasmus Ristolainen might still be out to start training camp (we remember, he was projected to miss six months after undergoing surgery on his triceps at the end of March), the door remains open for one of the defense prospects to make a real run at making the opening night roster out of camp. Now, one might assume that Emil Andrae would have the inside track on one of those roster spots given where he is in his development and his overall standing within the organization, but if they’re looking to make a more straightforward handedness swap-in, with a good camp, Grans might have be best case to sub in for Ristolainen, at least in the short term.

The numbers game does complicate things though, and while there might be room for Grans to start the season back up with the big club, the expectation is that he’ll likely be on the outside looking in on a more long term spot, and will spend the bulk of the season back down with the Phantoms (though remaining a top call-up option, should further need arise). And down with the Phantoms, he’s in line to play a much more significant role than he would up with the Flyers. While his role on the power play is a bit up in the air — one imagines Oliver Bonk will be given a good portion of that time, along with Andrae, if he’s still kicking around — it’s all but certain that he’ll be given a good share of minutes at even strength, as he’s shown some dependability in that area. And the hope is that he can continue to build his game in the right direction, and continue to carve out a role for himself in this organization.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/helge-grans-rises-to-the-occasion/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 31: The inconsistent but play-driving Milton Gastrin

We’ve reached No. 31 on our BSH Community Draft Board, and today’s profile is on Swedish center Milton Gästrin.

Gästrin, who plays in the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan for MoDo Hockey Club, really cemented his spot in the late-first round/early second round at the 2025 World Junior U-18 Championships. With three goals and seven assists across 10 WJC-18 games, Gästrin centered two of Sweden’s top prospects – 2025 eligibles Viktor Klingsell and Filip Ekberg. He was a driving force on Sweden’s top line of the tournament, and a huge part of the silver medal run for the Swedish on both ends of the ice. There’s a lot to like about Gästrin, who plays a steady two-way game that could slot into an NHL system nicely, if Gästrin can improve upon his consistency.

Pre-draft rankings​

No. 26 by The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)
No. 39 by Elite Prospects
No. 27 by TSN (Bob McKenzie)
No. 24 by Daily Faceoff

Bio​

DOB: June 2, 2007
Birthplace: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Position: Center
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 185 lbs
Shoots: Left

Statistics​

What’s there to like?​

Gästrin does nearly everything well, and while he’s not exactly going to wow you with his raw skills, he’s a player that impresses with his situational play and smarts on and off the puck. For a lot of the draft prospects who have high-risk, high-reward potential, you see the most eye-popping, impressive highlight reel but a frustrating level of inconsistent play. Gästrin is much closer to the other side of the coin, where he’s not necessarily boring, but his highlight reel isn’t exactly laden with high-end skills. He’s very much a lower risk profile, but when you get to this range of the draft, finding a guy who you believe has a reasonable chance to be a 3C is a success.

One thing that does stand out with Gästrin is his ability to be elusive with his skating. He’s a powerful skater, and can really find another level when skating with space through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. He seems to frequently catch defenders off guard with his speed, as he quickly shifts from coasting to full speed ahead on the fly. There’s quite a few examples on Gästrin’s highlight tape like the one below, where he glides through the neutral zone and protects the puck well to create a high-danger chance.

There’s also a certain fearlessness with Gästrin that makes him a really popular late-first round grade for this draft. He does all the things you’d expect a good middle-six center to do – he drives to the net, he has a knack for deflecting pucks, employs lots of below the goal line passes and shots. It’s a gritty, translatable to the NHL playing style that makes scouts feel relatively good about projecting Gästrin as a middle-six stalwart. It’s not hard to envision a world where Gästrin is a play-driving, under-the-radar center who can really set up his teammates well for success in the offensive zone. He may never be the main scorer or even a great secondary scorer on a team, but what he can do is all the little things that will translate well to the next level. There’s room for that on any NHL roster, and it’s more than a fair bet to think that Gästrin could be taken as high as the mid-20s because of it.

What’s not to like?​

There are a few things with Gästrin that certainly need some work. First, there are critics of Gästrin’s ability to actually consistently produce points at the NHL level, and most of that revolves around Gästrin’s lack of ability to create offense on his own.

Gästrin is known as a play-driving forward, but what he also is known as is a guy that really “plays well off his linemates”, as said by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. Sometimes that’s the name of the game for a center like Gästrin, but there are also concerns that come with a player like that who relies on his linemates to score. If Gästrin is not with higher-end talent on his future teams, what does his production look like? Does it completely crater? Those concerns are a little overblown in our opinion, especially for a player who’s as small-detail oriented as Gästrin is in all three zones. It is a fair limit on his overall individual offensive upside, but Gästrin should still be able to impact the game in other ways to the point where he could become a middle-six center if everything hits.

Motor-wise, this is a concern that’s been brought up in terms of how consistent he is. Gästrin has shown the ability to be a pesky, strong on the boards player, but it’s something that he hasn’t been committed to as an identity on a shift by shift basis. As a player without the high-end tools to make up for it at the next level, Gästrin is probably going to be coached to be that pesky, physical center on every shift. Consistency will be a point of emphasis for Gästrin, to turn him into the play-driving archetype that is likely the best case scenario for the player.

How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?​

Gästrin would likely fit pretty well into the Flyers’ system, and yet again give the Flyers much needed center depth in the pipeline. A smart center with 3C upside is something that every coach’s system and playing style utilizes pretty effectively and without issue, so if Gästrin hits – we’re not sure why he would be anything but effective in Philadelphia. Pipeline wise, the Flyers might be best served in this draft if they use 4 or 5 high picks on the center position, considering the state of things. So, Gästrin is probably one of those candidates, and definitely falls on the safer side of possible candidates in this range.

Could the Flyers actually get him?​

Yes, as we are saying about most of the prospects in this range. There’s so many interesting forwards throughout the range of Flyers picks from 32-50, and Gastrin is certainly one of them. Gästrin might not be too big of a swing, but the Flyers might feel reasonably confident that the player could at least develop into a solid bottom-half of the lineup player. That’s a slam dunk, excellent outcome for his projected draft slot, and a very worthwhile bet to take on a player that’s shown two-way potential. And, it’s worth noting that the Flyers have selected Swedish centers from the HockeyAllsvenskan in this range before, including last year’s selection of Jack Berglund at 51st overall.

What scouts are saying​

“I go up and down on Gästrin every time I see him. If this were a competition of “who has the most incredible highlight”, he might be very high on the list. He’s extremely efficient in transition with excellent puck carrying ability, good skill on the fly to control pucks, and is a massive volume passer in scoring areas to drive massive amounts of MoDo’s offense. I just wonder about his lack of a physical game, and being much, much more active on the offensive side of the puck with possession than on the defensive side without it. He comes and goes, is opportunistic waiting for offensive opportunity, but still a huge offensive driver for his team. I don’t know if he projects as a centre in the NHL, but a good, offensive leaning winger is possible, especially if he gains a bit more pace and physical edge in his game. I found his SHL tape illustrative of some issues in his game long term, but that doesn’t mean he’s a non-option. He’d be a great, fun upside option early on day 2 that might find his way into day 1, but he’s a bit of a wild card to me.”
Will Scouch, scouching.ca

“Gastrin started his draft season off on fire. He was captain of Sweden’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup team and produced 10 points in five games, and that same success bled into his club play with MoDo’s J20 squad. A mid-season injury held him out of the World Junior A Challenge, and his production has tailed off since the injury, but Gastrin remains a promising prospect. Gastrin can play centre or on the wing and could be used up and down the lineup. His tools are solid across the board, even if none of them are considered high-end or elite. He has a good frame which he’ll likely be able to add weight to as he matures. The upside for Gastrin is a 2nd line point producing forward, but he’ll most likely end up as a middle-six player.”
Jordan Harris, Dobber Prospects

“A strong game from Gästrin overall, arguably the best viewing I’ve had over the past month despite him being held pointless. It wasn’t due to a lack of chances, as he racked up quality looks from the slot and set his teammates up for success, too. 18 goals in 40 games isn’t anything to scoff at, but I feel like a higher-end finisher could’ve had an even more productive season with similar chance generation rates. Gästrin has become better at finding openings away from the puck, consistently looking for give-and-go opportunities and getting his stick open while driving the net as F2. In one of his last shifts of the game, he had a grade A one-touch chance off the rush, but the goalie ended up making a fabulous stop. I’d want to see more high-end playmaking and moments of creativity from him off the cycle, and his low-percentage hook and spin pass attempts to the net-front from below the goal line haven’t been working recently. But to his credit, he did end up setting up a couple of good looks, and has the vision to recognize open teammates in better positions instead of shooting from a worse angle. Transition play-driving and defensive details were apparent, as is the case with pretty much every one of my viewings of the player. An easy player to like and project to the next level; one of the better 3C bets you can make after the first 20 picks.”
Lassi Alanen, Elite Prospects Game Report (March 12)

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Into the poll is another Swedish prospect, future Michigan State center Eric Nilson!

“Nilson is a lean but intelligent center who is one of the smarter forwards in the draft on both sides of the puck. He takes smart routes with and without the puck, finds space in possession, always has his head and eyes up and processes the game at an advanced level. He’s got a slick first touch and catch-and-release shot. The puck comes off his stick quickly and accurately. He’s proficient on both special teams and will block shots. He’s also a light, breezy, plus-skater who can make plays at pace and sees the ice so well that he makes his linemates better. He’ll need to get stronger to improve his faceoff proficiency and to get the most out of his heady defensive play and tracking, but once that comes, he’s got legit NHL prospects. He knows how to win back pucks with his skating and body positioning, protect them and then escape or find inside ice with his sharp edges. He’s a winning player. He’s got one-on-one skill and finesse. I would have liked to see him score more this year, but he’s an interesting prospect who still has a lot of development opportunities in front of him, and I thought he was a standout at U18 Worlds. I expect him to go the college route as well, which I think will be good for him to get into the gym and play and continue to develop at that level. He’s a very good hockey player.”

Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...inconsistent-but-play-driving-milton-gastrin/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Wild GM gives clarity on Marco Rossi trade rumors to Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers have been linked to Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi for over a year now, but it is much more possible that the young Austrian forward could be moved this offseason. Could it be to Philadelphia? Recent rumors have complicated the possibility of that happening, but for just another twist, the Wild general manager rebuked that recent report.

Basically, we’re all the way back at anything can happen but it is interesting how we got here.

Last Wednesday, a report from RG Media revitalized the rumors and connected the Flyers to the reportedly available center. While it could just be old information, it is fairly obvious that the Flyers will be looking into any young center that could fit into their top six for the next decade.

After that brief mention of interest, Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco expanded on it, saying that he doesn’t think there is a particular fit. How the contract demands for Rossi this summer — since he is a pending restricted free agent — will be too rich for both the Wild and the Flyers. And, specifically mentioned how the Wild would want 23-year-old winger Tyson Foerster or one of the Flyers’ late first-round picks this year, included in the deal. And how the Flyers don’t want to part with either.

Fast forward to Sunday night and The Athletic’s Michael Russo got information from the main source. In a quick chat with Wild general manager Bill Guerin, it was explained that the report from Di Marco was almost entirely false — how no specific trade packages have been discussed with any team, and how it’s mainly just been throwing names around.

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Guerin denied a report from DailyFaceoff that he asked Philadelphia for Tyson Foerster or one of the Flyers’ late first-round picks in a trade for Rossi, saying, “I’ve talked to lots of teams about lots of players — not just Marco — and names come up all the time, but there’s never been any serious discussion with anybody yet.”

The Flyers are in the market for a second-line center, as are teams like the Vancouver Canucks, Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Flames and Montreal Canadiens.

Asked if he’s gotten much interest so far in Rossi, Guerin said, “Yeah, teams see this stuff written and they call, but like I said, Marco’s a good player and I’m not interested in making our team worse or postponing our team being better. So I’m not dying to get rid of Marco. That’s the bottom line.”

Most trades this month happen around the draft, which is June 27 and 28, but Guerin indicated he could be active much sooner.

“If we ever did something, I don’t have to wait for the draft or anything,” he said. “But again, that’s not for Marco. That’s for anybody.”
–Michael Russo, The Athletic

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While that report was exposed as false from Guerin, there are certainly some reasons why it could have been put out there in the first place. Obviously, the noise surrounding Rossi and the Flyers was getting noisy at the time, so some concrete information other than being in a list of teams that have expressed interest, was probably viewed to be useful at that time.

But there could still be some truths in there. It could be true that the Flyers are not willing to part with Tyson Foerster or the later first-round picks that they own — Philadelphia has Colorado’s 22nd-overall pick and Edmonton’s first-rounder that will settle in at 31st or 32nd overall. Especially for a player that they might not be super in love with themselves or seen as not the perfect answer for their first-line center problem. Considering how quiet the Flyers operate, they could certainly be planning on using those draft picks for something more significant. Or, just to spiral down the list of other possibilities, they are getting word of what other teams’ draft boards look like and know they can get a player they think extremely highly of, down around that range.

Basically, it’s still status quo. The Flyers are certainly looking around for good centers that fit their timeline, and it could be Rossi, or someone else we have not even heard that Philadelphia is interested in yet.

We’ll see how this plays out.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ws-trade-rumors-marco-rossi-gm-gives-clarity/