2026 NHL Draft Countdown: Flyers Weigh Their Options

Following Tuesday's trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Flyers have four selections in the 2026 NHL Draft. In addition to their first-round pick at 21st overall, Philly owns one pick apiece in the second (53rd overall), sixth (181st overall), and seventh (213th overall) rounds.

“It's not ideal. We'd love to have 15 picks in every draft, but it's not realistic,” General Manager Daniel Briere said shortly after the Flyers dealt their 2026 third-round pick in the trade that brought goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit over from Toronto.

It's possible that the Flyers could acquire another pick or two before or during the 2026 Draft weekend (June 26-27). If it does not work out that way, however, Briere is OK with it.

Briere pointed out, for example, that the organization made six picks in the first two rounds alone of the 2025 Draft, including two selections in the top 12 of the first round (NHL rookie right wing Porter Martone and college-bound center Jack Nesbitt).

“This year, we still have the first and the second right now, which are the key ones, I would think. All those draft picks that we've had in the past, we have to make room for them eventually. They have to play. So there's a balance too. Having only four picks this year, I'm okay with because we've drafted so much the last few years.”

Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr, who oversees the organization's scouting and drafting operations, said after the first 10 to 12 "best available players" in the draft class come off the board, there's a leveling off effect in this year's talent pool. From the middle of the first round to perhaps early in the second round, there's not a big difference in the overall "floor to ceiling" range of who may be available to select.

Positionally speaking, Flahr thinks the top-rated forwards will go quickly. From there, the first round may tilt toward a run of defensemen coming off the board. The next tier of forwards could dominate the third wave of picks deeper in the first round into the second.

The Flyers have not yet nailed down their final internal rankings of the players within the draft pool. Those meetings will take place over the next week before Hockey Operations is ready to roll at their draft headquarters in Atlantic City for the first round and beyond.

Briere and Flahr said all three possible approaches to the first round are feasible: stand pat at 21st overall, move down to get an additional pick while still get one of a couple well-regarded prospects or even move up to grab someone before he comes off the board.

Whomever the Flyers take in the first round is almost certain to need a couple years of development before turning pro. There will still likely be a process involved in getting the prospect ready for the NHL. The Flyers do not foresee a comparable situation to how Martone debuted in the NHL this past year (and made an immediate impact). Last year, the Flyers originally owned three picks in the first round but dealt the latter two in order to move up and selected Nesbitt.

However, Flahr said that the general strategy itself is unchanged, year to year. The particulars shift but the philosophy does not. It does depend on the range in which one team owns a given pick.

“I think we have the same process now as we did then. Anytime you're drafting in the 20s, you're not getting the perfect player that's completely polished and finished," he said.

“There's certain traits that we're going to be looking for in a player in the 20s, and some of them take a little bit longer than others. There's a number of different players, and obviously at 21, we've got to wait to see what the teams in front of us do. We have it set up through layers, which we always do. Maybe we can trade up. Or maybe there's an option if there's a big layer behind us that we're happy with; maybe there's a chance to move back and add another pick as well. So we'll sort those things out as we get closer."

Historically, the Flyers have often looked back at picks they made in their current range and ultimately came away happy. In fact, in hindsight, some of these picks ended up having more NHL impact than players the organization (or other teams) selected earlier in the first round. 

Cases in point: Simon Gagne (22nd overall in 1988), Claude Giroux (22nd overall in 2006), Scott Laughton (20th overall in what proved to be a shallow 2012 draft pool), Travis Konecny (24th overall in 2015), and Tyson Foerster (23rd overall in 2020). None were immediately NHL ready out of the Draft and all had certain question marks. Each one ended up playing a significant role in the organization down the line.

Briere has not ruled out trading back from 21st overall this year. He'd like another pick or two, but it's not the be-all and end-all of his goals for this year's draft. However, he's also not automatically against expending additional assets as part of an NHL-level move or even to trade up in the first round. He pledged to be ready for any of these scenarios. If nothing of sufficient interest arises, Philly will just make their two early-round and two late-round picks.

“Everything's on the table. It has to make sense," Briere said.

Moving out of the first round entirely this year is unlikely, Briere said. However it's not impossible.

"That's kind of the thing we want to make sure of, that it helps us for the future, not just for one season or a few months. I don't feel we're quite there yet (to make a go-for-broke trade. Like the trade (with Toronto), we feel those two guys hopefully will be able to help us for many years to come, and it was worth trading a third-round pick for that.”