How the Flyers have historically fared in the NHL Draft Lottery

The Flyers’ history with the NHL Draft Lottery has not been kind to them. When it should’ve been kind it turned out to be incredibly cruel.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been in the NHL Draft Lottery almost routinely since the 2016 version, missing the cut (or not being a cellar dweller) in the pandemic-influenced season (2020 lottery) and the aforementioned 2016 lottery. But given just how competitive the team was in the ’90s and most of the ’00s, the lottery balls were not in the realm of possibility. The Flyers were just too damn good for their own good.

So with the excitement building over knowing the Flyers could move up or at worst end up in the top sixth, let’s look back at the various lotteries situations Philadelphia found themselves in, whether they moved up or down, and whether the picks in those lotteries panned out. Yet for a team whose two highlights in the lottery turned out to be nightmares, it’s probably safe to say this current year could be their best ever in the lottery. No harm in hoping, right?

1995 to 2002

In 1995, the National Hockey League decided to not guarantee teams that deliberately tanked the top draft pick. Hence, the lottery was created to give those teams with the worst records a chance at landing the number one slot. However, the words “Flyers” and “lottery” were almost never found in the same sentence. In 1995, and from 1997 through to 2002, the Flyers weren’t participants in the draft lottery. The only season they came close was in 1996, when the team finished 15th, just outside of the lottery which included the bottom 14 teams.

2003 to 2007

In 2004 and 2006, the Flyers weren’t involved in the draft lottery, the former being the season they took Tampa to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The 2003 draft lottery saw the Flyers with the 11th pick overall, a pick they acquired from Phoenix in the Daymond Langkow trade. Philadelphia used the 11th pick to draft Jeff Carter, a player who had some great seasons but whose subsequent trade laid the groundwork for a new era in Philadelphia. In four seasons with the Flyers, Carter had 144 goals and 120 assists. He also scored 13 goals in 41 playoff games as a Flyer.

The 2005 draft, better known as the Sidney Crosby draft, saw four teams (Pittsburgh, Columbus, Buffalo, and the Rangers) with the best odds to land the then young phenom. The Flyers, like every other team in the league, was give a chance to land the top guy. Unfortunately, the Flyers lottery ended almost as soon as the telecast began. They ended up 29th, using the pick to draft Steve Downie. Downie had two brief stints with the Flyers, one known more for his hit on an unsuspected Dean McAmmond of Ottawa in an exhibition game. The hit resulted in a 20-game suspension for Downie, who time with Tampa and Colorado before returning to Philadelphia in 2013-14. Downie played 26 games with Arizona in 2015-16 before his career was done.

In 2007, the Flyers had the best odds to win the draft lottery. Many were hoping they’d land the top pick and most likely end up with sniper Patrick Kane. However, the Flyers saw themselves out of luck as they fell in the lottery to second. Chicago moved up from fifth to first to take Kane while Philadelphia drafted James Van Riemsdyk. In terms of both players, both have had strong careers and both still found teams interested in their services this past season. But Kane has three Stanley Cups, the first of them earned in 2010 when Chicago faced Philadelphia. Without rehasing too many infamous details, Kane’s overtime winner in game six on the Flyers’ home ice earned the Blackhawks the Stanley Cup.

2008 to 2016

The Flyers were good for a long time. It’s true! Not Cup-winning dynasty but they were good. From 2008 to 2012, the Flyers were not involved in the NHL Draft Lottery. In 2013, the Flyers were originally slated to get the 11th pick and they did just that. Then Flyers general manager Ron Hextall decided to go big or go home, drafting defenseman Sam Morin from Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

After two successful development seasons with Lehigh Valley, Morin played one game in 2016-17 and two games in 2017-18 for Philadelphia. Morin unfortunately was dealt a bad hand regarding his health, injuring his knee twice and tearing the ACL in the same knee twice in just over 18 months. In 2020-21 Morin scored his first and only NHL goal in 20 games. But he again suffered another knee injury. The Flyers announced in May 2022 his career was over. Fortunately Morin has remained with the organization in player development.

Philadelphia weren’t involved in the 2014 lottery and the 2016 edition. But were part of the one in the middle. In the 2015 edition the Flyers were originally slotted in the seventh spot. And they didn’t move up or down, using the pick to draft Ivan Provorov. Provorov played seven seasons with Philadelphia, eating up a lot of minutes but never quite solidifying himself as one of the league’s best blueliners. After Cliff Fletcher was removed as general manager and Danny Briere was brought in, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Provorov. He was later traded to Columbus (with the Kings retaining part of his salary). Over seven seasons he scored 65 goals and added 152 assists in 532 games.

2017 to 2020

One of the biggest leaps in draft lottery history took place in 2017. The Flyers were slotted for thirteenth, with a very small chance of jumping up. However, that was exactly what transpired, as the square panel NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly didn’t show the Flyers logo in that position. Philadelphia was in the top three. All of a sudden Giroux would have some help. Everything was coming up roses. The third pick then went to Dallas, meaning it was between the Flyers and the Devils for the top spot. New Jersey won it, with Philadelphia landing the second selection.

Moving up 11 spots should’ve been a miracle. But after New Jersey select Nico Hischier, Hextall took center Nolan Patrick, then touted as a blue chip prospect. Can’t miss. His career, compared to Hischier’s, Cale Makar’s (who they could’ve taken), Miro Heiskanen’s (who was there for the taking), and Elias Pettersson’s (who, well, you know…) was a cup of coffee. Migraine issues and concussions essentially ended his career in Philadelphia who then shipped him out to Vegas. Patrick’s Vegas stint was also problematic. Although Vegas won a Cup while he was a member of the organization, his name isn’t on the prized trophy. Patrick had 32 goals and 45 assists for 77 points in his career. Or 14 more than Matvei Michkov had in his rookie year.

In 2018, the Flyers were in 14th position in the lottery and ended 14th. The pick, acquired in the trade with St. Louis that saw Brayden Schenn become a Blue, was used to take Joel Farabee. Farabee had 90 goals and 111 assists as a Flyer before he (and Morgan Frost) were traded for Calgary’s second-round pick in 2025, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Jakob Pelletier.

The following year, the Flyers were in the top 10 for the lottery but history seemed to repeat itself. Philadelphia dropped to 11th after (you guessed it) Chicago jumped into the top three, ending up with the third overall pick. Philadelphia swapped the pick with Arizona’s (14th) and a second-round pick the same year. Cam York was the pick and has been one of the brighter picks for the Flyers in recent years not named Matvei Michkov or Jett Luchanko.

Finally, in 2020 the Flyers made the playoffs in the pandemic-shortened season, losing to the Islanders after beating the Habs and earning the first seed in a three-game round robin format.

2021 to now

In 2021, the Flyers didn’t move up or down and had the 13th overall pick. That pick went the way of the dodo bird as Cliff Fletcher used that pick, a 2nd in 2023 and Robert Hagg to land Rasmus Ristolainen, signing him to a five-year contract in 2022.

The following draft lottery saw another team move up, causing Philadelphia to drop back. New Jersey moved up to the second pick, resulting in the Flyers dropping from what should’ve been the fourth-overall pick to fifth. That pick turned out to be William Gauthier, the Flyers prospect now playing for Anaheim after Philadelphia shipped the disgruntled forward out of town in exchange for Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick in this year’s draft.

As for last year’s draft, the Flyers stayed put in running order at 12th. Philadelphia traded that pick for Minnesota’s pick at thirteen. The Flyers took Jett Luchanko, making a bit of a splash and surprising a few with the selection. Luchanko has spent some time this past season with the Flyers and was also playing well for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in this year’s AHL playoffs.

Which brings us to 2025 and Monday night. We’ll see where the lottery balls fall and where the Flyers could end up.