Philadelphia Flyers 2023 NHL Draft: Trade Up, Trade Down, Stay Put?

There are all sorts of possibilities on the table for the Flyers. With two first-round picks, they could try to package them together to move up from seventh overall. They could look to trade down at either pick to accrue more draft capital. They could also just stay put with both picks.

Before the NHL Draft begins, let’s take a closer look at the possibilities surrounding both trading up and trading down.

Will the Flyers Trade Up?

The dream for Bedard was finished as soon as the draft lottery was over. But is there another player in the Top 5 that could be of enough interest to the Flyers to make a trade up? What if Michkov is available at the fifth pick and the Flyers feel compelled to move up?

That’s the decision the Flyers are facing. They can just as easily retain the two picks they currently have, look to accrue more, and make multiple selections. They could also try to get a future superstar by taking a swing with a trade.

If the Flyers are to trade, it’s going to at least require the two picks they have in the first round at the moment. It’s the reason they are so hard at work on potential trades to get another first-round pick. That would create more flexibility for the Flyers to use two first-round picks to move up two or three spots and still allow them to have another pick in the first round. But it’s going to require a lot of things to happen, and feels like a longshot at this point.

Will the Flyers Trade Down?

If gaining more draft capital is the name of the game, the Flyers could look to move down from the seventh overall pick in a trade. The same goes for the 22nd overall pick. Either pick could allow the Flyers to move back a handful of spots and potentially get a second-round pick in the process.

Danny Briere expressed an interest in either getting back into the first round or the second round. To do so in the first round would likely involve moving more than just picks at this point. A second-round pick could be had if the Flyers decided to move back, especially at 22nd overall.

Everything is on the table, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Flyers look for ways to make gather more draft picks from the draft floor.