Flyers are awarded draft pick for not signing former first-rounder Jay O’Brien

The Flyers revealed in April they would not be signing O'Brien, who officially became a free agent Tuesday. As compensation, the Flyers will receive the 51st overall draft pick in 2024.

Jay O'Brien participated in development camps with the Flyers but never played a pro game for the organization.Read moreHEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer

by Gustav Elvin

Published Aug. 16, 2023, 1:18 p.m. ET

With the No. 19 overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, five picks after the Flyers selected winger Joel Farabee, then-general manager Ron Hextall went off the board a bit by selecting a 5-foot-11, 185-pound center from Massachusetts prep school Thayer Academy.

At the time, the 18-year-old center, who was ranked No. 32 among NHL Central Scouting’s North American skaters and was bound for Providence College, was considered a project and a reach by Hextall. The prospect’s name was Jay O’Brien.

Five years, two colleges, a year in the British Columbia Hockey League, and zero NHL games later, and O’Brien officially no longer is a Flyer. While the Flyers revealed in April they would not be signing O’Brien, who finished his collegiate career at Boston University, to an entry-level contract, Tuesday marked the day O’Brien officially became a free agent. As compensation for not signing the former first-rounder, the Flyers will be awarded a second-round pick next season. Since O’Brien was the 19th pick, that compensatory pick will be the 19th pick of the second round, No. 51.

Danny Brière and Co.’s decision to move on from O’Brien was not surprising, as they clearly felt stronger about adding a second-round pick than continuing down the road with an almost-24-year-old. The move also makes sense on paper, given the team’s rebuilding timeline and O’Brien’s lengthy injury history.

After having two first-round and two second-round picks in June’s draft and selecting winger Matvei Michkov (No. 7) and defenseman Oliver Bonk (No. 22), the Flyers are set to pick twice in each of the first two rounds again next year. In addition to their own first-round pick, the Flyers hold Florida’s first from the Claude Giroux trade, potentially Columbus’ second from the Ivan Provorov trade (could be kicked to 2025), and now No. 51 as compensation for O’Brien. The Flyers would have had another second-rounder had they not traded their own pick in the misguided 2022 trade for Tony DeAngelo.

The decision to cut ties with O’Brien also can be viewed as another positive sign from the new regime, as it shows the organization at least is willing to admit past failures instead of further compounding problems. Re-signing defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to a long-term deal and trading three picks for DeAngelo are two recent examples of the previous management group under Chuck Fletcher doing the opposite.

The most effective way to build in the NHL is through the draft, and Brière has done a nice job quickly restocking the team’s cupboard of draft picks and adding potential high-end players like Michkov. The Flyers, who have the missed the playoffs each of the last three seasons, are unlikely to contend again next season. That said, for the first time in a while that there are tangible changes and genuine hope that the team is moving in the right direction.

Being cast into free agency also is not the worst thing for O’Brien, who now gets to pick his destination and escape the pressure that comes with being a first-round pick in an unforgiving market like Philadelphia. He figures to have plenty of suitors, too.

While O’Brien never developed into a superstar, he was a productive player at Boston University when healthy, averaging 0.89 points per game over his three-year career with the Terriers. Last season as a senior, O’Brien scored eight goals and posted 32 points in 39 games for a BU team that included Flyers prospect Devin Kaplan and reached the Frozen Four. The issue for O’Brien has been injuries, as he dealt with shoulder and concussion issues in 2018-19 and underwent hip surgery before last season. Before last season, he had not stayed healthy for a full collegiate campaign.

Despite the injury questions, O’Brien widely is considered to be one of the top college free agents available because of his skating ability and passing vision. But his NHL chance won’t come with the Flyers, who have officially moved on from him and added a future second-round pick for their trouble.