The philosophy for Flyers general manager Ron Hextall has been simple when it comes to the draft: get as many picks as possible.
At the moment, Hextall has 10 to work with, but that number could soon rise to 11 — pending what the Arizona Coyotes decide to do with their newly acquired fourth-round pick.
With so many selections, the Flyers will have plenty of chances to build on an already budding prospect pool, particular with their first five picks over the first three rounds of the draft.
Many who have scouted the draft and reviewed the group of prospects believes that after the top four or five, the next 15-20 players in the draft are all on a nearly level playing field. Despite that, Hextall said that within the Flyers scouting department, consensus has said that there have never been back-to-back drafts this deep.
That helps the Flyers case, having as many picks as they do. But in most cases, having two sixth-round picks and a seventh round pick doesn't amount to nearly as much as picks in the top two rounds. The Flyers will pick 18th in the first round, 48th and 52nd in the second round and 79th and 82nd in the third round.
There is the chance to build the pipeline.
While the Flyers have always held an aggressive stance in looking to move up, Hextall has always proceeded with caution when it comes to bold moves. So you can safely assume that unless something drastic happens to one of the top prospects, projected around the top 10, and the Flyers feel the need to make the jump, they will be staying put.
That first pick holds great importance, but the depth is really going to be built through the second and third round picks. Later today, our prospect series will conclude with a look at "the other guys," prospects that are more likely to be taken in the late first round or in the second round with a few mid-round prospects thrown in.
By having five picks within the first 82 of the draft, the Flyers get the opportunity to land some valuable prospects, either by being in the fortunate position to pick early and often or by a stroke of luck to get a player who falls further in the draft.
The Flyers showed last year that their primary building tool is the draft and that the prospects they will develop are a key part of the blueprint for creating a championship team. The process continues in another 24 hours.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
