Flyers Draft Options: Should They Draft Desnoyers or Martin

With the 2025 NHL Draft just over a month away, things are taking shape, and the Philadelphia Flyers will have a better idea of who will be available at their first selection.

Obviously, a trade could change everything, but as of now, the Flyers are picking sixth overall, and it’s likely to stay that way.

The Flyers will have plenty of options. Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa, the assumed top-two picks, are really the only players the Flyers won’t have a real chance at drafting at No. 6. The rest of the top prospects should remain on the table as options for the Flyers.

That leaves prospects like James Hagens, Porter Martone, Anton Frondell, Caleb Desnoyers, Roger McQueen, Brady Martin, and many more as possibilities. In fact, at least three of those players will be available at No. 6.

With all of these choices, I figured it would be fun to compare two prospects at a time, and strike a debate as to which of the two prospects being discussed is the best fit for the Flyers.

So, let’s get into the first debate: Caleb Desnoyers vs. Brady Martin.

Making the Case for Caleb Desnoyers

Two reasons stand out for why Caleb Desnoyers is not the flashiest name for Flyers fans. First, he is a QMJHL prospect, and the other is his last name.

Desnoyers plays for the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL. The Flyers have shown a recent tendency not to draft out of the Q. In the last five drafts, the Flyers have only drafted three QMJHL players: Spencer Gil (2024 R2), Matteo Mann (2023 R7), and Elliot Desnoyers (2020 R5). Elliot is the older brother of Caleb, who did not particularly pan out. The last time they drafted a QMJHL player in the first round was 2013 (Sam Morin).

However, that does not mean the QMJHL does not produce great NHL talent. Sindey Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Claude Giroux are just a few of the great names to come from the Q.

Caleb Desnoyers has all of the tools to change the Flyers’ recent history.

He is a skilled playmaker with fantastic puck control. The game just looks like it slows down for him. Desnoyers has amazing vision, smooth hands, and truly makes things look easy. The Flyers need skills like what Desnoyers possesses down the middle. He also stands at 6’2″, which would make him the second-tallest center on the team.

While his playmaking is what will make him his money, it did not stop him from being a big-time goal scorer this season. In total, this season, Desnoyers has 35 goals and 49 assists for 84 points in 56 games. He also had nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points in 15 playoff games for Moncton.

Desnoyers could be the second center off the board on draft night, or slip, including past the Flyers. We will just have to wait and see.

Watch: Caleb Desnoyers Highlights

Could the Flyers Take A Swing on Brady Martin?

While he has always been a first-round prospect, Brady Martin went from a player the Flyers could draft with one of their late-firsts to someone they’d have to draft with No. 6 if they want him. Reaching for a player may seem crazy, but they did it just last year with Jett Luchanko. Luchanko likely could have been picked with one of the Flyers’ later first-round selections, but after a great combine, Daniel Briere and company felt the need to reach for their guy.

Like Luchanko, Martin, a center, is a late riser and has suddenly risen into top-10 conversations and higher. NHL draft experts like Craig Button (who nailed the Luchanko pick, for what it’s worth) and Scott Wheeler have both mocked Martin to the Flyers.

Button had the Flyers passing on Desnoyers and Anton Frondell in favor of Martin, while Wheeler had Philly taking the Soo Greyhound over players like Porter Martone and Jake O’Brien.

The late rise is not for no reason. Martin turned heads at the U18 Worlds, revealing the secret: he is a top-10 prospect.

Martin possesses a combination of speed and power that can be truly devastating to opponents. He is a human bowling ball who can actually control the puck—crazy, right? He also uses his physical play style to his advantage while checking. One thing the Flyers have thrived on, and yes, it will last post-Tortorella, is fast and aggressive forechecking. Brady Martin would fit right in.

His game is not all power and physicality. In 57 games for Soo this year, he had 33 goals and 39 assists, for 72 points. At Worlds, Martin had three goals and eight assists, for 11 points in seven games. Martin’s game had him as a surefire first-round pick, but after his production at Worlds, he could go much earlier.

Could we see the Flyers reach for the second straight year?

Watch: Brady Martin Highlights

So, Which Prospect Should the Flyers Draft?

The Flyers will have plenty of options come draft night. For the sake of this article, the choice is between Caleb Desnoyers and Brady Martin.

It is an interesting choice. Should the Flyers go with slick hands and big-time playmaking? Or should they go after a bruiser down the middle that uses physicality to produce? Will the pick be the player that was consistently talked about within the top-eight picks, or does Briere reach for specific skills for the second straight year?

Desnoyers has been talked about all year. He has been a top-10 prospect for most of, if not all of, the year. Martin is new to the conversation, but he certainly has the skillset to be in it.

In my opinion, Desnoyers’ ability to slow things down may be a bit harder in the NHL. However, I am more confident that he can be a 60+ point scorer, which is what the Flyers need out of the center position right now.

However, I am fascinated by Brady Martin. A power forward that can score AND play center? Martin could become something between Gabe Vilardi and J.T. Miller, which would be fantastic for the Flyers. The keyword is COULD.

The Flyers took a big reach on Luchanko in the last draft, taking a risk on a center that still needed to develop an offensive game. The risk could pan out and pay off in a big way. However, with the end result still being unknown, my preferred pick between the two would be Caleb Desnoyers.

Of the two, which player would you prefer?