Flyers add much-needed size to prospect pool with Porter Martone, Jack Nesbitt

The Philadelphia Flyers came into the 2025 NHL Draft with a few different needs. First and foremost, everyone knew that Danny Briere and the rest of the front office would have their eyes set on taking a center at some point in the first round. While they passed on James Hagens at sixth overall, they did get center Jack Nesbitt at 12th overall, even if it may have been a bit of a reach.

One thing Nesbitt has in common with sixth overall pick Porter Martone is that they both have pretty big frames to help the Flyers up front. The Windsor Spitfires center comes in at 6-foot-5, and the Flyers’ first pick in Martone, is a sturdy 6-foot-3. Adding size was something that the Flyers needed to do, especially after trading for Trevor Zegras, and they did just that here.

One of the main knocks on the Flyers in recent years, and also in their prospect pool, is that they’re too small.

Last season, according to Left Wing Lock, the Flyers had the third-shortest team at 72.7 inches (184.7 centimeters) when adjusted for time on ice. They were also the lightest at an average of 187.6 pounds (85.1 kilograms). That simply won’t cut it when the Flyers are looking to take that next step forward to compete for a playoff spot and beyond.

It didn’t help that last year’s top selection is a smaller center in the 5-foot-11 Jett Luchanko, and they added another one in the 6-foot, 185-pound Trevor Zegras in a trade with the Ducks. Those guys aren’t exactly the big bodies you’re going to want in the middle playing with the 5-foot-10 Matvei Michkov.

Well, it appears as if adding some size to the prospect pool was one of the Flyers’ main goals in the first round on Friday night.

First, the Flyers drafted winger Porter Martone with the sixth overall pick. Even with James Hagens and Jake O’Brien on the board at a position of need, Briere & Co. opted to go with the big winger with their top selection.

Here’s a quick scouting report on Martone from Elite Prospects:

“While Martone is known as a power forward, it’s more accurate to describe him as a playmaker. The patterns of the game seem imprinted in his mind. Constantly scanning the ice and knowing his teammates’ tendencies, system’s rotations, and the expected movements of defenders, he stays connected with linemates, avoids coverage, and puts himself in advantageous spots to make the next play. He builds deft passing plays, moves ahead of the opposition, and preys on defenders’ and goalies’ expectations, manipulating them to open up great scoring possibilities.”

Martone is listed at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. He’s already played with NHLers — including Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster, and Travis Sanheim — as a part of Team Canada at the World Championship this spring.

The sixth overall selection immediately becomes one of the tallest forwards not only in the pipeline but in the entire organization as well. Sean Couturier at 6-foot-4 is the only Flyers forward listed as taller than Martone, and last year’s 51st overall pick, Jack Berglund, also stands at that height.

Then the Flyers used their latter two first-round picks to trade up to 12 to snag Jack Nesbitt.

Nesbitt was mocked by some to the Flyers at 22 or 31, so it feels like a bit of a reach; but you can kind of see what the Flyers were going for in making sure they got Nesbitt.

Nesbitt is listed at either 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5, depending on the outlet, with a strong defensive game, but his skating and playmaking may need some work.