Resetting the Flyers farm system and trade cupboard after the trade deadline

TAMPA, Fla. — Flyers general manager Danny Brière was adamant that he was not going to trade the future for the present. And he didn’t.

The Flyers retained their top prospects and top draft picks at the 2024 NHL trade deadline, further stressing that things are different now in the City of Brotherly Love. Gone are the days of hedging the future for a here-and-now postseason run. Instead, the new Flyers brass wants playoff runs as numerous as the stars.

And the future is looking so bright for the Orange and Black that one might need a pair of shades. The NHL club may be sporting an average age of 28, but a large chunk of its core players are all 25 or younger.

Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink are both 22 and forced their way into the lineup during training camp before proving they can compete and succeed at the NHL level. Smooth-skating Jamie Drysdale turns 22 in April and his buddy Cam York, one of the best defenders on the team, celebrated his 23rd birthday in January.

Joel Farabee just turned 24 and Egor Zamula will be 24 at the end of the month, joining Ronnie Attard and rookie goalie Sam Ersson — a guy in the Calder Trophy chatter. Morgan Frost doesn’t turn 25 till May, and when he does he’ll join Ryan Poehling, Owen Tippett, and Noah Cates, who all hit the quarter-mark in the last few weeks. Plus, while he’s not necessarily an elder statesman, the Flyers’ energy guy and top scorer, Travis Konecny, is just 26.

And while that’s all well and good to see the young guns thriving with the big club, the guys waiting in the wings aren’t too shabby themselves. Here’s a breakdown of the Flyers’ future now that the dust has settled on the trade deadline.

The cupboard is anything but bare for the Flyers, who have prospects producing from the American Hockey League to the college ranks.

Lehigh Valley forward Olle Lycksell and defenseman Adam Ginning have shown the ability to play at the NHL level this season. And there are several guys down there with them who have piqued the interest of Brière. As he said in February:

“When I look at Elliot Desnoyers, Samu Tuomaala, Jon-Randall Avon is having a good year as well down there. ... Ethan Samson, Adam Ginning, Helge Grans [on defense], it’s a good thing that they’re playing a lot of heavy minutes, too. And, you know, if they’re ready, they’re ready.”

Tuomaala, 21, is having a standout year with 39 points in 54 games, including seven power-play goals. Defenseman Emil Andrae, 22, who was selected in the second round in 2020, has 29 points in 45 games in his first full season in North America.

Among the guys not yet in the pro ranks, here’s a quick look at some of the standouts.

Ranked No. 1 by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler as the top prospect in the NHL, the “Mad Russian” has the Flyers eager to see him don the Orange and Black. But as Tom Petty said, “the waiting is the hardest part,” and the faithful are going to have to wait a bit longer. After another strong year while on loan with Sochi, collecting 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 47 games as a 19-year-old, it seems the wait may be worth it.

Placing 55th on Wheeler’s list, Bonk has catapulted himself to be among the best prospects in the NHL. He ranks fifth in the Ontario Hockey League in points among defensemen with 64 (24 goals, 40 points), his 15 power-play goals are tied for first among all players, and his five shorthanded assists are tied for second. The OHL is one of three leagues that make up the Canadian Hockey League, the top junior league in Canada.

» READ MORE: Flyers prospects Bonk and Barkey share a bond as they grow their games in the OHL

Signed to his entry-level contract last week, Barkey has been lighting things up for the London Knights alongside his buddy Bonk. Selected in the third round in 2023, the forward ranks third in the OHL in points (93) and assists (61) while also scoring 32 goals. He has 24 power-play assists and is tied with teammate Easton Cowan, a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect, for first in the OHL with seven shorthanded goals.

Acquired in a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, the seventh-rounder has elevated his game this season for the University of Denver. Rizzo, a 22-year-old junior, ranks sixth in NCAA men’s hockey with 34 assists. He has 44 points in 27 games, the sixth-highest points per game at 1.57. The forward for the No. 4 team in the country, Rizzo is two points off his college hockey career high, set last season in 38 games.

Kolosov was selected in the third round in 2021. Brière said the plan is for the netminder to move to North America next season and hit the ice for Lehigh Valley. The ceiling is high for the 22-year-old Belarussian who is considered one of the best goalies outside the NHL. He posted a 22-21-3 record with a .907 save percentage and four shutouts for the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk this season on loan. On Sunday, he backstopped the team to a 2-1 double-overtime victory in the conference quarterfinals with 43 saves.

Other notable names: goalies Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin, forwards Alex Čiernik, Alex Bump, and Devin Kaplan, and defensemen Hunter McDonald and Carter Sotheran.

First round: two picks

One is the Flyers’ own and the other is from the Florida Panthers through the Claude Giroux trade. This pick is conditional and could slide to 2025 if the pick lands in the top 10, but that won’t be happening.

Second round: two

The Flyers’ own second-rounder was traded away in 2022 in the deal for Tony DeAngelo, but they received a compensatory pick for not signing 2018 first-rounder Jay O’Brien. The Flyers also have a conditional second-round pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets that was acquired in the three-way deal that sent Ivan Provorov to the Blue Jackets. But they won’t know if they actually have the selection this year or if it will slide to next year until the first round is completed.

Third round: one

Fourth round: none

Brière traded away the fourth-round selection in the trade for Erik Johnson.

» READ MORE: Newly acquired Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson reunites with familiar faces

Fifth round: two

Chuck Fletcher traded the Flyers’ picks last year in the Giroux swap, but he got one back in 2023 when he sent Zack MacEwen to the Los Angeles Kings. The Flyers also got Brendan Lemieux in the deal. Brière added to the mix when he chose to be a broker for the Vegas Golden Knights’ acquisition of Noah Hanifin on Thursday.

Sixth round: two

The Flyers have two picks, their own and the pick they acquired in the deal for Kevin Hayes over the summer.

Seventh round: one

The Flyers have one pick in every round except the first, second, and fifth rounds.

First round: two picks

Philly has its pick and, after standing firm, nabbed a first-round selection for Sean Walker this week.

» READ MORE: Trade grades: Evaluating the Sean Walker trade as Flyers net first-rounder in return

Second round: two

The Flyers have two picks in this round. One is their own, and the other was acquired in January when they sent disgruntled forward prospect Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks for Drysdale.

» READ MORE: Q&A: Danny Brière on the Flyers’ Jamie Drysdale, working with John Tortorella, and more

Fifth round: two

In addition to their own, the Flyers have a fifth-rounder from the Hurricanes. In August 2023, Briére swapped the signing rights for David Kase to their Metropolitan Division foes for the signing rights to Rizzo and the pick.