With Flyers officially acknowledging a ‘rebuild,’ all eyes turn to June’s NHL draft

As the Flyers embark on what Comcast Spectacor chairman Dave Scott deems a "multiyear process," a top-heavy 2023 draft offers a chance at landing a franchise cornerstone.

If the season ended today, the Flyers would have an 8.5% chance at landing Connor Bedard via the draft lottery, according to Tankathon. Columbus currently has the best odds at 25.5%.Read moreJASON FRANSON / AP

by Gustav Elvin

Published March 15, 2023, 2:14 p.m. ET

The narrative began to change two weeks ago, with former Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher and head coach John Tortorella publicly revealing a sudden shift in the strategy and direction of the organization.

The Flyers were no longer trying to be “competitive the rest of the way,” as Fletcher had stated on Dec. 1, and as the organization has stubbornly — and often recklessly — aimed to be for the entirety of its existence in spite of overwhelming evidence to do the contrary. Instead, the Flyers would be looking to be sellers and to “get younger” for the future. Danny Brière, who took over as interim GM after Fletcher was fired on Friday, hammered home that point this weekend by using the elusive word: rebuild.

It was a long overdue and necessary acknowledgment from the organization, and a 180 from what fans have been told for a decade, even as recently as last summer. But the Flyers claim they finally are prepared to take the long-term approach and undergo what Comcast Spectacor chairman Dave Scott deems a “multiyear process.”

When it comes to rebuilding, the draft takes on almost immeasurable significance. Taking your lumps, accumulating high-end picks, hitting on some of those picks, and developing the players you pick before having to pay them big money is the best way to build a contender in sports. Hockey is no different.

The Chicago Blackhawks, for instance, missed the playoffs in nine of the 10 seasons prior to winning three Stanley Cups in the 2010s led by homegrown stars like Patrick Kane (No. 1 overall in 2007) and Jonathan Toews (No. 3 overall in 2006). Last year’s champions, the Colorado Avalanche, did the same and bottomed out before drafting future franchise pillars like Gabriel Landeskog (No. 2 overall in 2011), Nathan MacKinnon (No. 1 overall in 2013), Mikko Rantanen (No. 10 overall in 2015), and Cale Makar ( No. 4 overall in 2017). Led by budding superstar Jack Hughes (No. 1 overall in 2019), the New Jersey Devils have the third-most points in the league this season after tearing it all down and seeing out a lengthy rebuild.

The Flyers are just beginning their “process,” and if they hope to one day have any chance of ending what is now a 48-year Cup drought, they will not only need to be patient with young players but they will need to be bad. It won’t be good for Comcast’s bottom line, for attendance, or for fans hoping to see good hockey.

There are also no guarantees it will work because of the variables at play when it comes to rebuilding — scouting, player development, and injuries to name a few. Flyers fans will know this better than most having seen what transpired with Nolan Patrick. That said, tearing it all down and rebuilding is the right and only course left.

While unintentional, this process essentially started last season, as the Flyers finished with the league’s fourth-worst record. For their futility, they were awarded the No. 5 pick in the draft and selected forward Cutter Gauthier. Taking the 6-foot-2, 193-pound Gauthier was a big swing on a player with major upside. With good size, an NHL-ready shot, and some positional versatility, Gauthier just completed a strong freshman season at Boston College with 16 goals and 37 points in 32 games.

In Gauthier and 24-year-old Owen Tippett, a former top-10 pick acquired last season in the Claude Giroux trade, the Flyers look to have at least two players with game-breaker potential. They may also have finally solved their long-time goalie riddle in Carter Hart, who, at 24, has played like a high-end No. 1 this season. Shopping veterans with contract terms like Travis Konecny, Kevin Hayes, and Ivan Provorov this summer could yield further assets for the future like draft picks and prospects — the Flyers already have one additional first-rounder (2024 or 2025) from the Giroux trade. That is not nearly enough but it is a start.

The Flyers likely will have a good chance to add at least one more franchise building block in June. In a strong draft that features a generational talent in Canadian phenom Connor Bedard and three others who would go No. 1 overall in most drafts, the Flyers (59 points) currently rank fifth in the draft lottery order, per Tankathon. That would give them an 8.5% chance of landing Bedard, although it is feasible that the Flyers, who have lost 16 of their last 20 games, could still slide further. While catching any of the top three in Columbus (49 points), San Jose (51 points), and Chicago (52 points) seems unlikely, the Flyers are just five points back of fourth-worst Anaheim (54 points), which is surging at the moment with points in eight of 10 games. The NHL announced on Wednesday that the draft lottery draw will take place on May 8.

While Bedard, who has put up video-game numbers for the WHL’s Regina Pats this season (61 goals and 125 points in 51 games), and also dominated the most recent World Junior Championships with Team Canada, is the unquestioned crown jewel of this draft class, he is not the only potential game-breaker. University of Michigan center Adam Fantilli, the projected No. 2 pick, Russian dynamo Matvei Michkov, and 6-foot-3 Swedish center Leo Carlsson, are all viewed as high-end prospects who most draft experts grade out as future NHL All-Stars.

Fantilli is in the midst of an all-time collegiate season for a freshman, as he leads the nation with 60 points in 32 games, while Michkov (nine goals, 20 points in 27 games) is doing unprecedented things for a teenager in the KHL. Finally, Carlsson has risen up draft boards after a strong World Juniors and continues to play a key role in the SHL for a playoff team in Örebro. There is a bit of a dropoff after that, so the Flyers landing one of the top four would be a massive boon for the organization as it takes its maiden voyage into rebuilding.

The Flyers have checked the first box necessary in any rebuild by looking in the mirror and acknowledging the reflection isn’t pretty. They finally seem to have a long-term plan. Now, will they see it out and be able to execute it?