Flyers Mailbag: Team Outlook; Offseason Targets; Unpopular Opinions & More
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2025 World Juniors Round Up
Flyers prospects in the 2025 World Junior Championship
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It’s time for the next Flyers mailbag! After canvassing X, Facebook, Instagram, as well as our comment section for reader questions, it’s time to answer said questions.
In this mailbag, questions about the length of the rebuild, potential offseason additions, the future of the Flyers’ goaltender, as well as unpopular opinions are answered!
The short answer–I believe strides will be taken this offseason, but the 2026/27 season will be the one where things start turning around.
The Flyers will have seven draft picks in the first 50ish picks this year. If they draft at all seven, they HAVE to hit on one. I think they’ll do the smart thing and trade at least one pick in the first and second rounds. Whether that be for a right now player or maybe it’s a move up to get their guy in the draft–I don’t think they won’t use all seven picks.
That said, I think that this offseason will be important. They may make a run and make the playoffs next year. However, I see the Flyers being at least two years out from being a cup contender, if not longer.
The Flyers will have some choices this offseason. They should have just around $27.5 million to spend. The Flyers have four RFAs likely to be resigned: Cam York, Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, and Jakob Pelletier.
I’m guessing that if the Flyers resign all four RFAs, they’ll have about $11 million to spend in free agency. If the Flyers are smart, they’ll use some of that on a backup goalie. Alex Lyon is my personal name to keep an eye on, but that is solely a hunch.
I would like to see the Flyers use this offseason to shake up the blue line. I know the need for the center is apparent; however, I see them using the draft to fill that hole. In the long run, that will pay off the most.
That said, I would look at Jakob Chychrun as a possible target this offseason. He has ties to the organization, and in all fairness, the Flyers lack a real number one. I am unsure if Chychrun is a surefire top-pair guy. However, he won’t cost the rest of the Flyers cap space. A trio of York, Chychrun, and Travis Sanheim seems pretty good to me. Mix that with Jamie Drysdale and the assumed future presence Oliver Bonk will have, that seems like a pretty solid defensive corps.
In short, yes. I think the Flyers will absolutely consider trading some of their surplus of draft picks for proven talent. The Flyers don’t have enough skilled players rostered or in their prospect pool to make a move solely based on players. They’ll need to use draft picks if they want to trade for proven talent.
That said, the Flyers will have to look for said talent on a rebuilding club–one that would take draft picks for proven talent. Not every team will be willing to trade a good player for picks.
I would be surprised if the Flyers did not kick the tires on a possible move at a very minimum. With all of the draft picks the Flyers have this year, there is truly no better time to make a move.
Denis asked two great questions! As for this one, I do think Sam Ersson has it in him to be a number one goalie. I just question whether or not he’ll be able to play 60+ games.
He has a great mental makeup. Ersson’s mental game is fantastic; there is not much that can get Ersson off his game. He has a great skill set and is 100% capable of being the best goalie on the Flyers.
Personally, I think Ersson would be best in a 1A 1B situation rather than a workhorse. He showed last season that he could not handle an intense workload, and this has continued this season as well.
I like Sam, and I think he is a great goalie. However, with him, I think you need a competent second goalie to prevent the Ersson from getting overworked.
I’ll start by saying the draft questions are circumstantial. At this point, I have no clue if the Flyers will end up drafting around pick No. 8 or No. 5. It could be better or it could be worse than either of those picks as well–everyone seems generally packed from No.5 really up until the playoffs.
That said, it depends on where the Flyers are drafting, but Caleb Desnoyers is definitely on my draft radar. As far as centers go in this draft class, Desnoyers (for now) is sixth–but remember that the top-10 of this class is loaded with centers. In my overall view of the draft, Desnoyers sits at nine in my personal rankings (which I’ll do more on closer to the offseason).
If the Flyers go on a streak or just steal some games near the end of the year, and end up closer to No. 10 versus No. 6 or 7, I would be thrilled with Desnoyers as a pick. However, I think the Flyers are better suited to be in pursuit of Roger McQueen, Anton Frondell, or heck, even make an attempt to get James Hagens.
I am trying not to use a cop out answer like Jamie Drysdale has the potential to be a monster or that the Flyers may be closer than you think. Instead, I’ll share two of my more unpopular opinions.
The first: I do not see a future where the Flyers carry both Cam York AND Emil Andrae; a choice is bound to come. Both players are on the smaller side, and neither plays a complete game that makes it worth carrying both. Andrae is more of an offensive defenseman whose defense is not his strong suit. On the other side, York tends to be a defensive defenseman–though I know he has some offense in him, it just needs to be unlocked.
I think the Flyers will pick one or the other, and I would lean towards keeping York over Andrae.
The second: Jett Luchanko is the truth! I am a firm believer that an answer to the Flyers center problem is already in the house. While on his own, I don’t believe Luchanko is a top-line guy. However, put him with Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov as the future top-line, and I think all three guys will flourish.
I don’t think the Flyers will stop their search for a center, even if they agree with me that Luchanko is an answer. Nonetheless, I believe Luchanko is a star in the making. Despite going pointless, he looked really, really good in his short time in the NHL. His play improved greatly in his return to juniors, and I thought he looked really good in the little time he was given at the World Juniors.
He’s not going to be a generational superstar, but Jett Luchanko is the real deal, and will prove that he is a future star sooner rather than later.
If you have questions you would like answered in the next Philly Hockey Now Flyers mailbag, keep an eye out for posts in the near future! Follow along on social media as well for the next mailbag announcement, along with more coverage of the team and more!
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Flyers Game 68, End of the Homestand; Lines, Notes, & How to Watch vs. Hurricanes
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