Philadelphia Flyers: The biggest area of need to address at 2020 NHL Draft

The Philadelphia Flyers are one of the best teams in the NHL and have a strong prospect pool. However, they need to find a top-end forward in the draft.

They say you can’t have the best of both worlds, but the Philadelphia Flyers are pretty darn close to having that right now. Not only are the Flyers among the NHL’s elite teams, they also have a surprisingly strong prospect pool. This bodes well for them, as it should help them become consistent Stanley Cup contenders.

The Flyers have a young franchise goalie in Carter Hart. While their system lacks any other high-end goalies, I think that’s fine because of Hart. Kirill Ustimenko and Ivan Fedotov are interesting prospects, but they’re also goalies, so who knows how they’ll turn out. Between the goalies in their system, I think they have at least one who can be a decent NHL backup.

That said, the Flyers prospect pool has one glaring weakness. It lacks high-end forwards. Defenseman Cam York is probably their top prospect (though there’s certainly a case for Morgan Frost). I’m not as high on Frost as others, but even if you think he’s a high-end forward, he’s the only one in their system and his full-time call up to the NHL seems inevitable.

More from Puck Prose

• Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
• This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
• 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
• 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
• This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings

There’s also Bobby Brink, who has the undeniable potential to be an impact forward. He was one of my favorite players in the 2019 NHL Draft, but it’s also undeniable that the Flyers are going to have to be patient with him, as he is a project. But a fascinating one nonetheless. German Rubtsov‘s upside is limited, but he’s got what it takes to be an effective third-line or fourth-line forward.

Luckily for the Flyers, the 2020 NHL Draft is full of potential impact wings. Even once you look past guys like Alexis Lafrenière, Quinton Byfield, Tim Stützle, and Cole Perfetti, there’s still an impressive crop of forwards waiting for the Flyers. Players like Jacob Perrault, Noel Gunler, and Connor Zary should be available when the Flyers pick. They currently have the 25th pick, though obviously, that’s up in the air depending on what happens with the draft.

There will also be a good defenseman or two available, but the Flyers have a pretty darn deep blue line of prospects. York’s going to be a stud. I also really love Egor Zamula, though he has some health issues. He wasn’t even close to 100% healthy at the World Juniors and it was obvious, yet he blew me away. Wyatt Kalynuk also projects to be an NHL defenseman.

This leaves one choice. The Flyers must go after a forward in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft. They should go bold as well. Their prospect pool doesn’t need another solid prospect. The Flyers have more than enough of those. It needs an impact forward.