Projecting the Flyers’ potential forward lines for next season ahead of the NHL draft

June 28 will mark another important moment in the Flyers’ rebuild, as the team’s brass will walk across the stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and announce the No. 7 pick.

The Flyers’ hope is to add another franchise building block as the team transitions to a younger roster and a long-term approach in John Tortorella’s second season at the helm. General manager Danny Brière and assistant general manager Brent Flahr have reiterated that the Flyers will take the “best player available” and will not get bogged down in terms of positional needs. That means the Flyers have several directions they could go in with the seventh pick — not to mention they now have a second first-rounder (No. 22 overall) acquired via the Ivan Provorov trade.

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But despite what Brière and Co. say, the team’s current roster composition plays at least some role in how the Flyers are approaching the draft. Here’s a peek at how the Flyers’ forward lines could look on opening night next season and what the organization has both at the NHL level and in the system at each position group.

We’ll start with the centers and that comes with the major caveat that Kevin Hayes has likely played his last game in a Flyers uniform.

Despite being the team’s only All-Star this past season, Hayes was benched during games, scratched once, and jettisoned to the wing in favor of rookie Noah Cates. The 31-year-old Hayes no longer fits the team’s timeline and given his $7.143 million cap hit over the next three years, not to mention his fractured relationship with Tortorella, he figures to be traded (the Flyers would need to retain significant salary) or bought out.

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The Flyers should get a significant boost from Sean Couturier returning after missing the last season-and-a-half due to a pair of back surgeries. Prior to his initial injury, Couturier was one of the better two-way centers in the league and had scored 0.91 points per game over his previous four full seasons. It is hard to know exactly where Couturier’s at after two back surgeries, but even if he’s half the player he was, he should slide in as the team’s top center. Couturier’s return also has the added benefit of pushing the likes of Morgan Frost and Cates down a line and closer to their more realistic slots.

Frost and Cates are 24-year-old restricted free agents but both figure to be retained. Frost finally found his footing over the second half of last season, improving his 200-foot game in addition to posting career highs in goals (19), assists (27), and points (46). Meanwhile, Cates (13 goals, 38 points) announced himself as a Tortorella favorite and showed signs of being a shutdown center as a rookie — he graded out as one of the league’s top defensive forwards in several of Evolving Hockey’s advanced metrics.

The fourth-line center spot remains a question mark and would seem a place the Flyers could add a cheaper veteran in free agency. If not, youngster Elliot Desnoyers could push for an NHL slot. Finally, last year’s top pick Cutter Gauthier will return to Boston College for a second season. The Flyers still envision Gauthier as an NHL center but his shot and recent role at the World Championships might hint he is best suited on the wing. Oliver Moore, Dalibor Dvorský, and Nate Danielson are three names to watch if the Flyers are looking.

If the Flyers have a position of depth, it is with shoot-first, right wingers. The Flyers boast three talented and youngish wingers on the right side in Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, and Tyson Foerster, as well as veteran Cam Atkinson, who is returning after missing last season with a neck injury.

The big question mark is whether the Flyers will hold on to Konecny, who is 26 years old, under contract control for two more seasons at an affordable $5.5 million cap hit, and fresh off a career-high 31 goals (in 60 games). Konecny would have real value on the trade market for a contender looking for goal scoring and grit, but he is also one of the faces of the organization, a Tortorella favorite, and an example for younger players to follow.

If Konecny returns, either Tippett, Atkinson, or young Tyson Foerster would likely need to move to their off-wing. The 24-year-old Tippett, who had career highs in goals (27) and points (49), played some left wing at the tail end of last season and figures to be part of the team’s long-term plan given the speed, power, and scoring ability in his game. He and Frost developed nice chemistry last season, and he would add size at 6-foot-1, 207 pounds, to a line with Frost and Atkinson.

Like Couturier, Atkinson is a bit of a mystery given his health but he had 23 goals and was one of the team’s best players in his first season as a Flyer in 2021-22. On paper, Atkinson would be a buyout candidate given his age (34) and the logjam at right wing, but it is hard to envision that happening given his personal relationship with Tortorella and his role as a leader on this team.

Foerster, 21, figures to make the team out of camp after posting a big year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (20 goals, 48 points in 66 games) and impressing during an eight-game cameo with the big club (three goals, seven points). One of the organization’s top prospects, Foerster showcased an elite shot and played with pace and physicality at the NHL level, which impressed Tortorella. Cates, Foerster, and Scott Laughton would form one heck of a checking line in terms of providing energy and neutralizing opponents.

Wade Allison on the fourth line brings energy and a net-front presence, while Tanner Laczynski, speedster Olle Lycksell, and playmaker Bobby Brink could also push for playing time in the bottom six. Lycksell had a nice rookie season with the Phantoms (14 goals, 45 points in 53 games) but didn’t do much with the Flyers (one point in eight games). The Flyers still have high hopes for Brink, a former second-round pick, who should be much better this season now that he’s a full year removed from hip surgery.

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Matvei Michkov, the draft’s biggest variable, is probably the only right winger in the conversation at No. 7. Another shoot-first player, Michkov has bona fide star potential but there is risk with his contract in the KHL running through 2026 and the ongoing political situation with Russia remaining tenuous.

While right wing is a strength, left wing is the opposite, at least at first glance. Joel Farabee is the top returner on the left, but there are genuine questions regarding his play and injury history over the past few seasons.

There is little doubt that Farabee has ability. He possesses plus speed, silky hands, and a quick shooting release. He’s also not afraid to stick his nose in and mix it up despite his slender frame. That skill set resulted in a lot of early success, including a 20-goal season as a 20-year-old. He hasn’t hit those same heights since, which has coincided with him signing a six-year, $30 million contract extension.

Farabee deserves a pass for last season after he underwent offseason disk replacement surgery on his spine but all eyes will be on No. 86 this season. Can he revert back to the player who looked to be a budding star? Farabee, 23, has the tools but he needs to continue to get stronger and fill out his body. It is getting close to put-up or shut-up time for the enigmatic winger.

We already discussed Tippett moving over the to left side, which is in no way ideal or certain given how well he played last year on his natural wing. That said, if he can adapt there it solves a major lineup conundrum for Tortorella and helps balance out the lines a bit from a size and skill perspective.

Laughton would then theoretically fill in the third slot on the left, which is probably the sweet spot for the team’s Swiss Army knife. On a good team, Laughton could be an outstanding third-line player and penalty killer, who would provide versatility, energy, and depth scoring. For these reasons, the 29-year-old is reportedly a wanted man around the league. This would pose a dilemma for the Flyers, who deeply value Laughton’s leadership and skill set. But he is certainly a player who could be moved if the price is right.

Veteran tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers would round out the left-wing depth chart. He was an overpay (three years left at $1.75 million AAV) and lacks foot speed but he did what he was signed to do in terms of playing the body and standing up for his teammates. Deslauriers led the NHL in fighting majors with 14 and unofficially ranked third in hits with 306, according to Stats Muse.

If the Flyers wanted to add a left wing at No. 7, bruising United States National Team Development Program goal scorer Ryan Leonard would make a lot of sense given how the organization has valued players of his profile in recent drafts. Skilled but smaller playmakers like Zach Benson and Gabe Perreault would also be options and could fit nicely given the Flyers’ sudden arsenal of shoot-first wingers.

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