Aside from the No. 12 pick, the Flyers will have a second opportunity to pick a player in the first round. To complete the Claude Giroux trade in 2022, the Flyers will receive the Florida Panthers’ first-rounder. That slot will be determined once the Panthers are eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The San Jose Sharks, who finished with the worst record in the NHL and a .287 points percentage, nabbed the top spot. They are expected to select Macklin Celebrini. At 17, the Boston University forward became the youngest player to win the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college men’s hockey. He notched 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 games as the Terriers went to the Frozen Four.
Celebrini’s connections to the Bay Area run deep. Sharks general manager Mike Grier also played college hockey at Boston U. And Celebrini’s father, Rick, is the Golden State Warriors’ vice president of player health and performance.
The odds were not in the Flyers’ favor.
To be honest, they never were.
Philly entered the NHL draft lottery on Tuesday sitting in the 12th spot after finishing with a 38-33-11 record and 87 points. Because they finished outside the first 11 picks, they could not move up to No. 1 on the draft board as the NHL limits teams to moving up only 10 spots. They did have a 5.1% chance of moving up to the No. 2 spot, according to Tankathon.
But in the end, while fans — and Flyers management — dreamed of a higher spot, the Orange and Black stood pat. For the first time in franchise history, the Flyers will select the next generation at No. 12 when the NHL holds its 2024 edition of the draft.
The draft will be conducted at Sphere in Las Vegas on June 28-29. Flyers general manager Danny Brière will draft at least nine players. There is a chance for an additional pick in the second round from the Blue Jackets through the Ivan Provorov trade, but Columbus has until the conclusion of the first round to decide if it wants to slide the pick to 2025.
Flyers general manager Danny Brière will have nine picks in the NHL draft and could come up with a 10th.
MIGUEL MARTINEZ / For the Inquirer
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