- What you should know
- The Flyers drafted defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii in the first round of the 2026 NHL draft Friday night in Buffalo.
- The Flyers entered the night with the No. 21 pick, but traded down with the San Jose Sharks. The deal also netted them two additional picks: No. 62 and No. 120.
- Ahead of tonight’s draft, the Flyers traded veteran forward Garnet Hathaway to the Carolina Panthers.
// Pinned
// Timestamp 06/26/26 10:46pm
New Flyer Maksim Sokolovskii is a big guy who’s mean on the ice
The Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel predicted the Flyers’ first-round pick of Maksim Sokolovskii, a year after she called Shane Vansaghi to the Flyers in Round 2.
From her final mock draft on Friday morning:
“Meet Sokolovskii, who checks several boxes for the Flyers’ usual modus operandi at the draft and is the targeted pick for several outlets and insiders.
…
After spending the 2024-25 season with the Atlantic Coast Academy, Sokolovskii played this past season for London of the Ontario Hockey League. Yes, that London, where Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk won a Memorial Cup one June ago. That London where team president Keith Jones has a connection with Mark and Dale Hunter. The Flyers like the system and how they prepare players. Could this be a match just for that reason?
And then there’s the height. And Sokolovskii is, to put it mildly, a big boy at 6-foot-7¼, 240 pounds. The Flyers like tall dudes, drafting 6-5 Jack Nesbitt, Carter Amico, Luke Vlooswyk, and Matthew Gard all last year. Since Flahr took over, 31 of 50 players are over 6-feet, and 17 of those were taken with Brière as GM.
The biggest difference compared to several previous prospects is that Sokolovskii is a pretty good skater for a guy his size.
“He’s 6-foot-8, and he skates like he’s 5-foot-8,” Mike Taylor, the owner and one of Sokolovskii’s coaches at Atlantic Coast Academy, told The Inquirer recently. “… He came here, and I had a skating coach once a month come up and do power skating with our guys, and he does it like with UMass Amherst, and all these other schools. And he saw him skate, and he’s like, ‘Oh my God.’ He couldn’t believe how good his edge work was, and stuff, for being the size that he is.”
Considered a mean guy with some bite on the ice, Sokolovskii likes to be physical, throw the body around, and play tough. Although Taylor says there is an offensive dimension to his game — as seen from his numbers at Atlantic Coast — he is considered a shutdown defender.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 11:06pm
Every pick from the first round of the 2026 NHL draft
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State
- San Jose Sharks: Ivar Stenberg, LW, Sweden
- Vancouver Canucks: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford (OHL)
- Buffalo Sabres: Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert (WHL)
- New York Rangers: Alberts Smits, D, Finland
- Calgary Flames: Carson Carels, D, Prince George (WHL)
- Seattle Kraken: Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
- Winnipeg Jets: Viggo Björck, C, Sweden
- San Jose Sharks: Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota
- Nashville Predators: Wyatt Cullen, RW, USA U-18
- St Louis Blues: Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University
- New Jersey Devils: Alexander Command, C, Orebro (U20 Nationell)
- New York Islanders: Malte Gustafsson, D, Sweden
- Columbus Blue Jays: Oscar Hemming, LW, Boston College
- Anaheim Ducks: Nikita Klepov, RW, Saginaw (OHL)
- St. Louis Blues: Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec (QMJHL)
- Utah Mammoth: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor (OHL)
- Washington Capitals: Oliver Suvanto, C, Finland
- Los Angeles Kings: Elton Hermansson, RW, Sweden
- Buffalo Sabres: Ilia Morozov, C, Miami (Ohio)
- San Jose Sharks: Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver (WHL)
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat (WHL)
- Detroit Red Wings: JP Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops (WHL)
- Vancouver Canucks: Adam Novotný, LW, Peterborough (OHL)
- Ottawa Senators: Jonas Lagerber Hoen, RW, Sweden
- Montreal Canadiens: Gleb Pugachyov, RW, Russia
- Philadelphia Flyers: Maksim Sokolovskii, D, London (OHL)
- Anaheim Ducks: Marcus Nordmark, LW, Sweden
- Las Vegas Golden Knights: Juho Piiparinen, D, Finland
- Calgary Flames: Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown (USHL)
- Nashville Predators: Thomas Bleyl, D, Moncton (QMJHL)
- Ottawa Senators: Jaxon Cover, LW, London (OHL)
// Timestamp 06/26/26 10:33pm
Flyers take defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii with No. 27 pick
The Flyers selected Maksim Sokolovskii after trading back to the No. 27 overall pick in the first round of the NHL draft.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 9:56pm
Flyers should have some good options at No. 27
A couple of good options should be there at No. 27 when the Flyers now pick.
The list of prospects could include Maksim Sokolovskii, Brooks Rogowski, Jack Hextall, Ryder Cali, Tommy Bleyl, and maybe the first goalie off the board, Tobias Trejbal.
I wouldn’t sleep on Casey Mutryn or William Håkansson, either.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 9:48pm
Flyers trade down
// Timestamp 06/26/26 9:43pm
Flyers on the clock
// Timestamp 06/26/26 9:33pm
Best players still available
Here’s Jackie Spiegel’s list of the best players available in the draft as the Flyer’s No. 21 pick approaches:
- Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver (WHL)
- Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown (USHL)
- Tommy Bleyl, D, Moncton (QMJHL)
- J.P. Hurlbert, RW, Kamloops (WHL)
// Timestamp 06/26/26 9:26pm
Danny Brière finishes 7th for GM of the year
Flyers GM Danny Brière finishes 7th for general manager of the year. He got one first-place vote.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 8:55pm
Mason McTavish traded to St. Louis
Ducks center Mason McTavish has been traded to the St. Louis Blues, using their No. 15 and No. 29 overall picks.
McTavish was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and signed a 6-year extension worth $7 million annually ahead of the 2025-26 season, but he fell out of favor in Anaheim with the emergence of Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson.
McTavish had been linked with the Flyers over the past two summers given his pedigree, the team’s need at center, his north-south game, and the team’s well-documented trade history with the Anaheim Ducks.
— Gabriela Carroll, Gustav Elvin
// Timestamp 06/26/26 8:39pm
Top remaining center prospects for Flyers
Swedish center Alexander Command, who at one stage was probably someone the Flyers thought they had a shot at but had been rising, goes at No. 12.
With Tynan Lawrence and Command gone, Oliver Suvanto, Ilia Morozov, Jack Hextall, and Brooks Rogowski make up the next group of centers if the Flyers choose to go that route.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 8:38pm
Wyatt Cullen’s father, a three-time Stanley Cup champ, had him in skates early
Wyatt Cullen, the son of three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen, is headed to Nashville Predators with the No. 10 pick.
At the NHL combine earlier this month, Cullen told The Inquirer his father had him in skates when he was just “two years old.”
“Growing up, I’ve just always loved the game,” Cullen said.
“[Sidney] Crosby and my dad were pretty good friends, so he’d be over at our house sometimes [to] play mini-sticks.”
Who won mini-sticks?
“He did.”
// Timestamp 06/26/26 8:24pm
Top defensive prospects off the board
With Keaton Verhoeff off the board at No. 9 to San Jose, that closes the book on the top tier of defensive prospects in a draft class heralded for its blueliners.
Expect a run of forwards to come now with Malte Gustafsson and Ryan Lin highlighting the next tier of defensemen. As Jackie Spiegel noted earlier, Tommy Bleyl, Maksim Sokolovskii, and Xavier Villeneuve are among the defensemen the Flyers could consider at No. 21.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:51pm
First major upset of the draft
The first major surprise of the draft came at No. 4 as the Buffalo Sabres selected defenseman Daxon Rudolph from the Prince Albert Raiders.
Rudolph, who was projected to be a top-10 pick, was expected to go behind the likes of fellow defensemen Chase Reid, Alberts Šmits, and Carson Carels.
The Sabres have pulled off several shockers this week with the Bowen Byram trade and now the selection of Rudolph.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:35pm
Pavel Dorofeyev reportedly heading to the Rangers
The New York Rangers are making a big addition on the wing, reportedly acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas for the No. 26 pick, the No. 92 pick and a conditional 2028 first-round pick (condition on the pick is top-10 protected).
Dorofeyev is a restricted free agent who scored 37 goals this past season, and 35 the season prior, plus 12 goals in Vegas’ Stanley Cup Finals run. Dorofeyev is a restricted free agent, joining the Rangers after they finished last in the Metropolitan Division in 2025-26.
Vegas is reportedly one of the teams on Red Wings center Dylan Larkin’s no trade list. Could they be compiling assets to make a run at the Olympic gold medalist? Or even for Stars winger Jason Robertson? The Stars wouldn’t – would they?
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:34pm
Another big trade sends JJ Peterka to the Bruins
The Boston Bruins are acquiring forward JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth for two first-round picks, including the No. 23 pick in the 2026 draft.
Peterka, 24, managed 25 goals this past season for the Mammoth but his first season in Utah went anything but smoothly. The fit never quite worked out and now Boston will take a chance on the German who has a longstanding connection with Bruins coach Marco Sturm.
Peterka’s best season came in 2024-25 when he notched 27 goals and 68 points in 77 games for the Sabres. He is signed for four more seasons at a cap hit of $7.7 million.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:19pm
Penn State star Gavin McKenna taken by Maple Leafs with No. 1 pick
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:10pm
Another potential power play QB off the board for the Flyers
// Timestamp 06/26/26 6:30pm
Blue Jackets reportedly taking calls on Zach Werenski. Could the Flyers be interested?
The Flyers have said they want to become a destination for top players and believe that Rick Tocchet can help in that aim.
Well, another one seems destined to soon hit the market, as the Columbus Blue Jackets are fielding trade calls on Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski, according to Pierre LeBrun.
The report comes after recent rumblings suggested that Werenski, who turns 29 next month, was growing unhappy in Columbus and was not keen to extend with the Blue Jackets when his contract expires in two seasons.
The Flyers will assuredly check in on Werenski, as he is exactly the type of offensive difference-maker they’ve long lacked on the blue line. Werenski has averaged 23 goals, 82 points, and 23 power-play points over the past two seasons and is universally considered one of the best three defensemen in the NHL. Center and a bona fide No. 1 power-play QB are the Flyers’ two biggest needs, and Werenski would certainly check the second box and then some.
The two big questions are would Werenski be open to Philadelphia – he has a full no-move clause and would need to approve any potential destination – and do the Flyers have the pieces to acquire him? Only Werenski knows the answer to the first question, while the Quinn Hughes trade would be a comparable trade to get a sense of Werenski’s value. In that deal, Minnesota traded the equivalent of four first-round picks with Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick going to Vancouver for fellow Norris winner Hughes.
The Flyers to this point have said they are unwilling to move Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov, but this is the type of player that would likely require one to go the other way. Danny Brière’s plan all along was to go “big-game hunting” this offseason, let’s see if the Flyers’ GM gets aggresive here.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 6:17pm
Could the Flyers actually target someone under six feet tall?
The Flyers have prioritized size when drafting – and not drafting – defenseman the past few seasons, but with the 21st pick, and a couple of interesting undersized defensive prospects in that range, could they be more apt to consider someone under six foot this year?
While GM Danny Brière and assistant GM Brent Flahr tried to pour cold water on that idea at their recent pre-draft news conference, could the trade of Emil Andrae have changed things slightly. The Flyers don’t have a truly dynamic offensive defensemen in the system, and Ryan Lin, Tommy Bleyl, and Xavier Villeneuve, while all under six feet, would all fit the bill in some regard.
Jackie Spiegel took a deeper look at the three polarizing defenseman and whether the Flyers could break their mold and target a future potential QB for their power play on Friday night.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 5:17pm
Did the Flyers just tease a new alternate logo?
While fans have been rapidly refreshing X with the NHL hot stove on fire and the clock ticking closer to the NHL draft on Friday night, the Flyers might have teased something.
At around 2 p.m., the team posted a picture of the team’s draft headquarters in Atlantic City with the following caption:”Ready for action in AC.”
On the floor in the middle of the room was a black Liberty Bell outline in highlighter orange trim. Could this be a new alternate logo for the team’s City Connect jerseys? Hmm …
Let’s hope.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 4:44pm
Sabres acquire Zellweger
The Flyers are looking for a power-play quarterback, and with very few available as unrestricted free agents beyond 36-year-old John Carlson, they may need to get creative to find one.
Two days after Bowen Byram was traded from Buffalo to Chicago, another young defenseman came off the board with the Sabres acquiring Olen Zellweger, seemingly as Byram’s replacement, for a second-round pick and forward prospect Anton Wahlberg. The dynamic 22-year-old defenseman is a restricted free agent and will need a new contract from Buffalo.
Known for his effortless skating and silky puck skills, the 5-foot-10, 193-pound Zellweger had seven goals and 22 points last season and has PP1 upside. With Byram and Zellweger off the board, the Flyers will have to look elsewhere if they want to add to their blue line this summer.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 4:16pm
Likely No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna on what he learned at Penn State
// Timestamp 06/26/26 3:35pm
Watch our Gameday Central draft preview
// Timestamp 06/26/26 1:59pm
Maple Leafs deal Sam Ersson to Senators
Sam Ersson is on the move again.
Ten days after being traded alongside defenseman Emil Andrae to the Toronto Maple Leafs for goaltender Joseph Woll and depth blueliner Simon Benoit, the former Flyers goaltender’s rights were traded across Ontario to Ottawa on Friday.
The Leafs recouped a fifth-round pick for Ersson’s rights, while Ottawa will now likely qualify the restricted free agent goaltender. His minimum qualifying offer is $1.6 million.
Ersson, 26, amassed a 65-50-17 record and .884 save percentage in four up-and-down seasons in Philadelphia. Last year, he posted 14-11-5 record with a .870 SV%, but he was excellent after the Olympic break with a .912 save percentage in nine games. In Ottawa, he could form an all-Swedish tandem with Linus Ullmark.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 1:51pm
Jackie Spiegel’s final mock draft
Who the Flyers will actually select in the first round is now just hours away from being revealed.
Philly picks at No. 21, so there is a lot of intrigue to see who they can get that deep in the draft. And that’s the crux and the reasoning behind why, in the fourth and final draft for The Inquirer, we have the Flyers picking a fourth different player.
First round: Maksim Sokolovskii, LHD, London (OHL)
Meet Sokolovskii, who checks several boxes for the Flyers’ usual modus operandi at the draft and is the targeted pick for several outlets and insiders.
For background, since assistant general manager Brent Flahr took over, he has drafted 50 players, with general manager Danny Brière by his side for 26 of those.
The position Flahr has drafted the most across his tenure is defense, at 15, and he did mention during his sit-down in Buffalo that the Flyers need defensive depth. He added during his pre-draft presser last week that the Flyers could use some more depth down the left side in particular — he did add “not necessarily being the first round” — and Sokolovskii is a left-handed defenseman.
And then there’s the height. And Sokolovskii is, to put it mildly, a big boy at 6-foot-7¼, 240 pounds. The Flyers like tall dudes, drafting 6-5 Jack Nesbitt, Carter Amico, Luke Vlooswyk, and Matthew Gard all last year. Since Flahr took over, 31 of 50 players are over 6-feet, and 17 of those were taken with Brière as GM.
The biggest difference compared to several previous prospects is that Sokolovskii is a pretty good skater for a guy his size and isn’t the big project that other draft picks have been.
Click here for a more in-depth breakdown of Sokolovskii and a look ahead at who the Flyers might take on Day 2.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 1:36pm
Will Flyers join Rangers and Blues in Mason McTavish sweepstakes?
It’s no secret that Danny Brière and the Flyers are poking around the trade market for a top-six center. One name that has come up quite a bit over the past two seasons is Anaheim’s Mason McTavish. The 23-year-old center, who was the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft, has fallen out of favor in Anaheim is reportedly available this summer.
The latest update from Pierre LeBrun is that Anaheim has offers on the table from the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues for the player but that there is still time for another team to get involved.
The appeal with McTavish is obvious: He’s a young player with draft pedigree who two seasons ago tallied 22 goals and 52 points on a bad Ducks team. He’s the exact type of reclamation project the Flyers have been attracted to in recent years — Jamie Drysdale, Trevor Zegras, David Jiříček. He’s also a rugged player who gets to the hard areas and can help a power play as a net-front presence and as a goal scorer. The Flyers and Ducks have also done two recent deals with one another which adds further smoke here.
The question is after slumping to 17 goals and 41 points and being a healthy scratch in the playoffs this season, is McTavish someone you want to commit to for the next five seasons at $7 million per? He’s also been a defensive liability as a pro and is not the most fleet of foot — two things that could sway the Flyers in a different direction.
We’ll keep an eye on this one but for now it looks like McTavish won’t be the answer for the Flyers down the middle.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 12:15pm
Nine players the Flyers could target in the first round
The first round of the 2026 NHL draft is just hours away, and the Flyers are scheduled to pick at No. 21.
Who will be there, before general manager Danny Brière’s turn to face the camera and announce the pick, is anyone’s guess. With the expectation that prospects like Wyatt Cullen, Ryan Lin, and Alexander Command — who really does scream Flyer more than anyone on this list — will be long gone, here are nine players (in alphabetical order) the team could take in the first round.
- Tommy Bleyl, RHD, Moncton (QMJHL)
- Maddox Dagenais, RW, Québec (QMJHL)
- Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown (USHL)
- JP Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops (WHL)
- Nikita Klepov, RW, Saginaw (OHL)
- Ilia Morozov, C, Miami (OH) (NCAA)
- Adam Novotný, LW, Peterborough (OHL)
- Maksim Sokolovskii, LHD, London (OHL)
- Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)
// Timestamp 06/26/26 11:54am
Will Jordan Spence extension impact Ristolainen?
One of the top restricted free agent defenseman is off the board as Jordan Spence is closing in on a four-year, $20 million contract extension with the Ottawa Senators, according to multiple reports.
Spence, 25, had 31 points last season and had been mentioned in some recent trade chatter. The undersized blueliner’s extension likely doesn’t take Ottawa out of the Rasmus Ristolainen sweepstakes, as Spence is a very different defenseman to the Flyers’ bruiser.
Ottawa, who are lucky to get bigger on the blue line are one of the teams that have been linked to Ristolainen in recent weeks. Ristolainen, 31, is entering the final year of his current contract and is likely not part of the Flyers’ long-term future. With prices high, the Flyers could opt to cash in on the rugged defenseman now, especially given Ristolainen’s extensive injury history.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 11:22am
South Jersey native Tony DeAngelo re-signs with Isles
Former Flyers defenseman and Sewell native Tony DeAngelo is staying in the Metropolitan Division. Sportsnet reported Friday that DeAngelo will sign a two-year contract to remain a New York Islander.
The offensive defenseman, who played the 2022-23 season for his hometown Flyers, tallied five goals and 35 points in 76 games last season for the Islanders. DeAngelo, 30, had 11 goals, 42 points, and a minus-27 rating in his lone season in Philadelphia before being bought out a season before his contract expired following a clash with former coach John Tortorella.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 10:09am
Mock draft roundup: Lots of options for the Flyers
The Flyers have the 21st overall pick in the NHL draft — they also have three more picks on Day 2 — but there doesn’t seem to be any kind of consensus on who Danny Brière and Co. will select Friday night. Here’s a roundup of who some experts think the Flyers will take …
The Inquirer: Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown (USHL) — In our first mock draft, published before the NHL scouting combine, this spot belonged to defenseman Tommy Bleyl. In our second, published post combine, it was center Alexander Command. — Jackie Spiegel
[Note: In Jackie’s final mock draft, which published after this post went live, she has the Flyers taking defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii]
The Athletic: Ilia Morozov, C, Miami (NCAA) — Philadelphia continues to build out its center depth with a potential middle-six pivot in Morozov. Lawrence and Hextall are also possibilities. — Corey Pronman
ESPN: Maksim Sokolovskii, D, London (OHL) — The Flyers have not been shy about drafting a certain type of player — especially given coach Rick Tocchet’s influence on the organization. [Porter] Martone, Jack Nesbitt, Jack Murtagh and Shane Vansaghi are massive players with a physical edge. … The 6-7 Sokolovskii seems like the prototypical Philadelphia Flyer. He’s enormous, skates well, has a mile-long mean streak and is widely considered the hardest hitter in the draft class. All of that screams Tocchet type. — Rachel Kryshak
NHL.com: Maksim Sokolovskii, D, London (OHL) — Sokolovskii checks a lot of boxes for the Flyers. At 6-7, 240, he was the biggest player measured at the NHL Scouting Combine, and he’s a left-handed shot, an area where Philadelphia is thin among its prospects. He also comes from a London program the Flyers have trusted for player development in the past, including defenseman Oliver Bonk and forward Denver Barkey. — Adam Kimelman
NHL.com: Thomas Bleyl, D, Moncton (QMJHL) — If Bleyl (5-11, 170) is here, it makes sense for the Flyers to grab him to replenish their defensemen prospect pool. The 18-year-old is a dynamic puck-moving defenseman who emerged as one of the draft’s pleasant surprises thanks to his offensive production and elite skating ability. A natural power-play quarterback, he makes plays consistently while still holding his own defensively. — Mike G. Morreale
Bleacher Report: Mathis Preston, RW, Vancouver Giants (WHL) — On our draft board, we have Mathis Preston ranked as a high second-rounder. But draft boards and mock drafts are not the same thing, and it’s believable that a team will choose to select him in the first round. Last go-round, we tried the Vancouver Canucks out as a fit; for this one, we thought the Philadelphia Flyers were an interesting landing spot. He brings incredible speed, he’s a later birthday, and his passing and handling are top-notch. — Hannah Stuart
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:55am
2026 NHL Draft: How to watch and stream
The 2026 NHL draft officially starts at 7 p.m., but the Flyers won’t be on the clock for a lottery pick.
The first round of the draft will air live on ESPN, hosted by John Buccigross alongside analyst Kevin Weekes, NHL insider Emily Kaplan, and Draft and hockey analytics expert Meghan Chayka. ESPN will also
The second round begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday on the NHL Network, and the draft will end with the seventh round that same evening.
When do the Flyers pick?
After winning a playoff series over Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2026 postseason, the team’s first since 2019-20, the Flyers will pick at No. 21 overall during Friday’s first round.
The Flyers will also have three picks on Saturday: in the second round (53rd overall), fifth round (136th overall) and seventh round (213th overall).
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:45am
Who will the Flyers draft with the No. 21 pick?
Flyers beat writer Jackie Spiegel’s No. 1 choice for the No. 21 pick tonight, if he’s available, is 18-year-old Alexander Command, a center for Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League.
“Like Shane Vansaghi last year, he oozes Flyer, and he feels a connection to the team and the fan base,” Spiegel said in a Reddit AMA Thursday.
Unfortunately, Spiegel expects Command to be “long gone” when the Flyers pick. In her most recent mock draft, published last week, Spiegel had the Flyers taking center Jack Hextall, a distant cousin of former Flyers goalie and general manager Ron Hextall.
“This Hextall is a 6-foot-½ inch, 195-pound right-shot centerman who is projected to play a middle-six role,” Spiegel wrote, adding the “Flyers love picking centers in the first round.”
Other candidates at center include Ilia Morozov and Maddox Dagenais. Defenseman Tommy Bleyl is another possibility.
FloHockey draft and prospect analyst Chris Peters is also high on Command, praising his “physicality” and his “doggedness in pursuit of the puck.”
“Just the absolute annoyingness of just getting under your skin, and I think that there’s a lot to like about that player,” Peters said of Command on Flyers Gameday Central. “The comp that I had for him was Brayden Schenn and I think he probably has a higher motor, even there. Brayden Schenn was physical and mean, and he could score, and that’s what I think Command can do, too.”
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:40am
Flyers land more draft picks by trading veteran forward Garnet Hathaway
The Flyers are making a few changes on the fourth line.
The team announced Thursday that Garnet Hathaway has been traded to the Florida Panthers along with a 2026 sixth-round pick for a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft and a 2027 fourth-rounder. The Flyers now own four picks in this weekend’s NHL draft: 21, 53 (second round), 136 (fifth round), and 213 (seventh round).
Signed as a free agent in 2023, the 34-year-old winger played three seasons in Philadelphia and put up three points in 66 games last season, down from his 21 points in 2024-25 and 17 in 2023-24. Alongside Sean Couturier and Luke Glendening, he was part of a formidable fourth line in the playoffs, scoring one goal and recording one assist in eight games while asserting himself physically.
A Maine native who graduated from Brown, the undrafted Hathaway ranked fourth in hits in the NHL across his three seasons in Philly. The past two seasons, for every hit the Flyers recorded, Hathaway and his wife, Lindsay, pledged to donate to local first responders with a match from Flyers Charities through Hits for Hath’s Heroes. Following the 2024-25 season, the Hathaways donated $30,000 to the Families Behind the Badge Children’s Foundation, a Conshohocken-based nonprofit.
Hathaway has one year left on his two-year extension signed last July 1, which is worth $2.4 million annually. A team source has confirmed to The Inquirer that the Flyers will retain 50% of Hathaway’s salary, leaving a cap charge of $1.2 million on the books for 2026-27.
The trade is the latest tweak to the roster. Last week, they acquired defenseman Simon Benoît and goalie Joseph Woll from the Toronto Maple Leafs for goalie Sam Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and a third-round 2026 draft pick.
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:35am
Could the Flyers trade away or acquire more picks?
Maybe?
In a news conference earlier this month, Flyers general manager Danny Brière did say he was OK with having only four picks now in the upcoming draft — one each in the first, second, sixth, and seventh rounds — and he did call the first- and second-round picks “the key.” But he also said everything is on the table.
“We’ve drafted so much the last few years [so] it might not be quite a bad thing to not have as many this year,” he said. “But, if I had the choice, yeah, I would rather have more picks.”
Fair, because who doesn’t want to keep stocking the cupboard? But what if it meant trading a first-rounder for a young player who could fit into the lineup today?
“Yeah, we’re getting closer to that. I don’t know that we’re quite there yet, but we’re certainly willing to listen on different ideas,” he said. “I’m not too keen on trading future first-round picks, because you never know where it can go, and we’re not at [where] Colorado or Carolina [are] at this point, where you know we’re going to be finishing [high] and picking late first [round]. I don’t think we’re quite there yet.”
2026 first round NHL Draft order
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- San Jose Sharks
- Vancouver Canucks
- Buffalo Sabres
- New York Rangers
- Calgary Flames
- Seattle Kraken
- Winnipeg Jets
- San Jose Sharks
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Islanders
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- St. Louis Blues
- St. Louis Blues
- Los Angeles Kings
- Washington Capitals
- Utah Mammoth
- Buffalo Sabres
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Boston Bruins
- Vancouver Canucks
- Ottawa Senators
- New York Rangers
- San Jose Sharks
- Montreal Canadiens
- St. Louis Blues
- Calgary Flames
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Ottawa Senators
// Timestamp 06/26/26 7:30am
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