We may be almost a month removed from the 2016 NHL Draft — a draft that yielded the Flyers a nice crop of prospects — but before we know it, junior seasons will start back up, and the focus will shift to the players that will round out next year's group of prospects.
Sure, the Draft — set for June 23 and 24 in Chicago — is 11 months away (almost seeming like an eternity given how quickly everything processes in an NHL season), but it's never too soon to think about the future. And considering Ron Hextall's well-known emphasis on building through the draft, it's become the offseason highlight for Flyers fans.
In last month's draft, the Flyers selected 10 players, compared to nine in 2015 and six in 2014. As per General Fanager, the Orange and Black have nine picks next year. Undoubtedly, it's a tremendous leap forward from the days where the Flyers would select five or six players at a time and have plenty of downtime before having to make their next pick.
The Flyers will hold one pick each in the first and second rounds, before picking twice in Rounds 3 and 4, and having one pick in each round from Rounds 5 through 7. Their other third-round pick comes from last summer's fleecing trade that sent Zac Rinaldo to Boston, while the other fourth-rounder was acquired from the Islanders in this year's draft (that saw the Flyers part ways with Arizona's pick that they received last year in exchange for Niklas Grossmann and Chris Pronger).
Naturally, all that's known for now is how many picks the Flyers will have — and even that's subject to change. Hextall could be acquiring more picks as the season progresses, or even deal some away (a scenario that, for now, remains unlikely). The draft order is also up in the air, and will be figured out once the Stanley Cup is raised. In a perfect world, the Flyers would earn the 30th pick in the first round and all the general managers that descend upon United Center would congratulate them on a Stanley Cup championship when taking the podium, but even that is subject to change as well.
As if one draft weren't enough, the Flyers have another draft to focus on as well. Next year's Expansion Draft (set to take place from June 18-20; just days before the Entry Draft) would see the Flyers protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender, or eight forwards of any position and a goaltender. They would also be required to expose two forwards and one defenseman that play at least 40 games next season, or 70 games between this past season and next season. While the Flyers (obviously) wouldn't be able to make any selections in the expansion draft, they are guaranteed to lose at least one player.
Since Hextall took over the Flyers' general manager duties in 2014, he's prioritized the draft, and garnering as many selections as he possibly can. It's what helped him draft strong classes this year and last year, and won't be any different in 2017.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
