What Flyers GM Danny Briere, AGM Brent Flahr said at pre-Draft press conference

Flyers general manager Danny Briere and assistant general manager Brent Flahr discussed the Flyers mindset heading into next week’s NHL Draft.

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere and assistant general manager Brent Flahr held a pre-Draft press conference Tuesday morning. And while they didn’t spill any beans regarding who they hope to take with the sixth overall pick, they did shed light on what they’re considering doing when the opening round of the 2025 NHL Draft kicks off June 27. Here’s what they had to say.

On the Flyers approach with seven picks in the first two rounds, including four second rounders:

Flahr: We have to plan it a little differently, traditionally if you just have one pick in the second round you’re really focused in on a small group of players that you think are going to be there. This year because of what we’ve had we’ve spent a lot of time on a lot of different ranges. So there’s certain layers like we have every year, we go a little deeper this year and spent a lot more time in certain areas. We’ll gauge it and if there’s a player still available that we have at a higher layer we’ll move up. If not and we think we can get value we’ll move back a couple of spots and still get the same caliber player, we’ll try to do that. I think there’s going to be some opportunities for movement, having more picks is always beneficial because it gives you the freedom to do a lot of different things whether it’s trading outright for a player, trading up if there’s a player still on the board you’re really excited about or again trading back and trading out. It’s a lot more fun being on this side of it at this time of year when we have these picks and the ability to do some things.

Q: Is there a situation where you may select all seven?

Briere: Absolutely! This year after spending a lot of time with the guys (scouting staff), there’s a lot of players that our guys like in that window after #22, #22 to #48. So there’s actually a really good chance that we keep the picks and we really build around those guys.

Q: With the lottery and you guys falling down to #6, is that a worry that you might have fallen out of a tier of talent?

Briere: Not anymore, not after spending the time that we’ve done the last few weeks and we’re still everyday watching more video on those guys. We feel more confident and comfortable that we’re inside (a tier). There’s obviously the number one guy that everybody sees but after that. On the night that it happened I was bummed falling back two slots, but after the last couple of weeks I feel really good about it.

Q: What do you see as the strength of the draft position-wise?

Flahr: Obviously it’s been talked about that early in the draft, in the top 10, there’s a lot of centermen which isn’t always the case. A few defensemen, high-end wingers. There’s obviously different options there. We obviously are well aware of our own needs. But at the same time players especially at #6 we’re going to go with the best player on the board.

Q: How do you look at depth from picks #22 to #48?

Flahr: I think there’s a number of different types of players. Whether it’s smaller, skilled wingers. There’s still some centermen on the board that may be middle of the lineup type of guys but are still valuable players. Big defensemen that are maybe going to need a little bit of time, but our guys are excited about and have a lot of potential. There’s a lot of different types of players there that our guys have a chance to be really good players down the road. Are they going to play next year? Realistically no. But they are going to be valuable assets to add to an organization.

Q: Is there a goalie you would put a first-round grade on?

Flahr: Potentially one this year, but there’s a number of goalies as the draft goes along that our guys are high on and feel there’s a lot of potential there that we can use that player for a positional player versus a goaltender in that spot. We’ll manage that as we go along. You’ve seen it before once one goalie goes usually it’s bang, bang, bang, they all start to go. We have a number of picks in that range, we’ll see.

Q: How do you view the overall organizational depth at center?

Briere: We know it’s an area of need moving forward, but resigning Cates also helps solidifies that for the next four years. Jett’s on his way, we signed Dorwart, we signed Gaucher, those guys are going to need a little bit of time but they’re on their way. A guy like Jack Berglund we knew that was going to be a long-term project, a 6’4″ centerman, he’s still really in play for us down the road. Heikki Ruohonen was really good at the World Juniors. These guys are all moving in the right direction, Cole Knuble is another one. They’re all moving in the right direction but you don’t know how far they’ll take their game. But they’re still in play, we hope they’re able to take the next step and help us down the road. At the same time, having so many picks this year, it’s an area that yeah, we’d like to solidify a lot more.

Calling around the league, finding centers, it’s almost impossible. And forget it, you’re not going to find a first-line or a second-line center. A lot of teams will entertain a fourth-line center moving or moving a fourth-line guy, but they’ll want a second-line winger in return. They’re hard to find. But if we have the chance, and we started that a couple of years ago, start drafting them and grooming them. Hopefully down the road it might take three, four or five years but they’ll turn into good players that we can either use here or for an asset acquire something we need. Centers have a lot of value these days.

Q: Assuming you take a forward, how much does size factor in given Michkov, Luchanko and Konecny aren’t big guys but are near the top of the lineup?

Briere: It’s something to consider just like the skating, the hockey sense, the competitive edge, it’s part of it. It probably doesn’t play into it as much as how competitive he is and the hockey sense. I think those things are probably more important, even the skating. We’re aware of it but at the same time we want to be careful. There’s other areas we can protect those guys with the Hathaways of this world that came come in, Deslauriers and Seeler. So I’m not worried. We’re aware but it shouldn’t sway us too much.

Q: Are you thinking of being aggressive and looking to add to the roster now or will you see how it plays out?

Briere: One thing I want to make sure and to let the fans know is the plan hasn’t changed. We’re not going to pay crazy assets just to do something crazy. It has to make sense. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. We’ll select our players and it might be all the picks, there might be nothing that changes. But at the same time if we have a chance to improve the team and it makes sense long-term we’re going to look into it. It’s on the table but aggressive is probably the wrong word.

Q: Are you looking at the top of the draft for position or best player available?

Briere: At the top of the draft will definitely be the best player available for us. Then as you go down the draft. If we take three centers with our first three picks after that we’re probably going to be easing up and looking at positional needs or a different position. But at the top of the draft at sixth we’re looking at the best player available.

Q: To clarify, it’s not going to make a huge difference picking at sixth versus picking third?

Briere: That’s the feeling. It almost feels like somebody is going to make the decision for us. We feel that from #2 to #3 to #8 those guys are really, really close. We’ll have a tough decision to make at #6, we know that. But instead of having to chose between five and six guys, it might be choosing between two or three guys.

Q: Do you feel there’s a chance to add to the roster now by having seven picks in the top 50?

Briere: It’s possible. It’s something we’re going to consider. We’ve had a few talks with different teams but we realize the area of need is center and teams don’t really want to move centers unless it’s a fourth-line guy.

Q: Does having a new coach in Rick Tocchet affect how you go about drafting players? Does he look for a certain type of player to coach?

Briere: Not really. I don’t think it changes much from Torts was looking for. When you hire a coach he fits into the vision we have. Tocchet is very much on board with what we’re trying to do. That was one of the things that got him excited about this team and the direction it’s going in. We’re all on board there. We have the same vision when it comes to that.

Q: How many guys are you realistically targeting with the sixth pick?

Flahr: It’s probably, 10, 11, 12 guys that we’ve zeroed in on. As a group we still have meetings to go and we’re banging heads all next week. We’ve had our meetings already but there’s guys still going to fight for their guys and it’s legitimate. We put our list together and there’s still some unsettled arguments. But at some point you have to put names up and go. We’ve done a lot of research since then, we’ve had the combine, done a lot of interviews in person, we’ll do more by Zoom this week and next. After we do that we’ll put the final list together.

Q: Has the evaluation of the strength of this year’s draft changed much since the 2024 draft?

Flahr: When you talk about the draft you have a few guys, Schaefer and a couple of guys who are highly touted. But this year’s is similar to last year’s in terms of depth. The second round there’s some depth and then there’s a fall off a little bit later. I think there’s some guys that certainly didn’t pan out in the draft that we had high expectations for this year. But there are others who have popped up.

Q: With the new format of the draft and the decentralization, is it going to be harder to make deals?

Briere: I think there’s goinng to be positives and negatives from it. I personally like being on the floor and being able to grab the phone on the table or walk over to get something done face-to-face. I like that but that’s just me. There’s also the privacy part where having so many picks and having the luxury to be confined by ourselves and not worried about computers or lists being wide open and available to everybody. I think that’s going to be an advantage for us this year. It’ll be a little easier. But I’m going to miss being on the floor with everyone, the energy it creates having everybody down there.

Flahr: You also have a lot of potential trades made up the night before or morning of in the event things fall a certain way. So you have to do a lot more of that. We always did that anyway but usually at the start of the second round there’s a lot of conversations. But now you have to do it by phone. That’s a difference.

Q: Is there not some urgency to take advantage of the picks to improve the club sooner than later?

Briere: It’s all about value. At the end of the day if you feel acquiring a player versus who’s there staring at you. Right now the picks are just numbers when you look at them. We have 36, 40, 45, they’re just numbers. But eventually there’s a name to it. The one thing I’ve realized when I’ve talked to teams is those names become very powerful. You started developing them. It’s really tough to acquire because of the value that teams put on names becomes stronger and stronger. You got to be careful. Yes it might be enticing to get a player that could help you for a year or two. But if you think down the road the player who is just a number now could be way more valuable in three, four, five years. That’s what we’re constantly trying to evaluate.

Flahr: I think you know what we’re doing here. There’s an age thing. We’re not going to be throwing away picks for a rental or older players. If there’s a younger player that fits in our age group that’s going to help us for a pick or certain pick then yes. But throwing picks at older players, now.

Q: Will you take a swing with the sixth pick?

Briere: I think we’ve shown that we’re not afraid to do that. But we’re going to do what we feel is the best player. It doesn’t mean we’re going to swing for the fun of it and keep you guys on your toes. Our guys have done a lot of work. I rely on our guys who have done the work and have hundreds of reports and seen those guys 100 times live. No offense to all the experts out there who watch these players on tape once or twice and make their own rankings. That’s great, it works for them. But I’m going to trust our guys who have done it for a lot of years, they’re experts on it. They give us 100 reports on a guy. I’d rather trust the guys that I know put in the work.

Flahr: Michkov was a swing as far as when you could get him over. It wasn’t a swing or a risky pick. The word gets thrown around a lot. If it’s skating ability or size those are the things you can try to do as the draft goes along. But at six, I don’t think we’d be taking a swing with the guy we pick. There’s different types of strengths and weaknesses but they’re all good players.