At first, it seemed like the Philadelphia Flyers were getting a shrewd piece of business done, acquiring a 2025 third-round pick from the Minnesota Wild just to move down one spot, from 12 to 13, in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
After the Wild and the Flyers picked their players, that perception changed rather fast.
University of Denver defenseman Zeev Buium was scooped up by Minnesota while the Flyers passed up on the highly-regarded Konsta Helenius in favor of Guelph speedster Jett Luchanko. And although Helenius made the most sense for the Flyers as a cerebral, experienced center, Buium was considered the can’t-miss, high-end defense prospect that every NHL team needs more of.
That is, unless you’re the Flyers. Danny Briere and Co. apparently had this decision made before it came down to it.
“Well, when you look at our defense, you have it right. I think Zeev Buium is going to be a great player, and he’s someone we considered strongly,” Briere said after the conclusion of Round 1 on Friday night. “But with Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Emil Andrae… at some point, it gets tough to go with the smaller guy. But he’s a fantastic player.”
Buium isn’t necessarily small — he stands at 6-foot, 185 pounds — but he’s noticeably smaller than other players the Flyers drafted, like 6-foot-4 defensemen Spencer Gill and Austin Moline. The Flyers also have Travis Sanheim signed long term, and the Flyers really like what Adam Ginning and Egor Zamula bring to the table for them.
Plus, it’s not like the Flyers passed on Buium for a bigger defenseman, like an Anton Silayev or a Sam Dickinson. They simply bypassed the best available player entirely, instead pivoting to their highest-rated center in Luchanko.
Additionally, Andrae hasn’t made the NHL yet, and Drysdale has a lengthy injury in his short time in the NHL, including yet another surgery at the end of this past season.
Overall talent seems to contribute to NHL success more than size does, but the Flyers have a different plan right now. In time, we’ll see if this gamble pays off.
