If the Philadelphia Flyers wish to move up in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Los Angeles Kings have presented them a golden opportunity to do so.
With an aging cupboard of core players, the Los Angeles Kings have traded a number of draft picks in recent seasons for the purpose of adding win-now talent.
Without a second- or fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft, the Kings are actively looking for ways to move their first-round pick, 24th overall, to patch the holes.
The Flyers, who still have six picks in the first two rounds of the upcoming NHL draft even after the Trevor Zegras trade, are in pole position to take advantage of such an opportunity. In fact, the Kings themselves think this.
In a recent interview with Zach Dooley, Kings director of amateur scouting Mark Yannetti pegged the San Jose Sharks and the Flyers as two teams his club could strike a deal with for mutual benefit.
“If you look at movement scenarios, like moving from 24 to 25, you’re very limited in your movement scenarios at 24," opined Yannetti. "Ones that make sense might be San Jose and Philadelphia, especially, would make sense. You can have too many draft picks, people are starting to realize that I think. It used to be that more is better but you’re starting to see logjams."
Yannetti is right in this assessment, at least as far as the Flyers are concerned. Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, Travis Konecny, and Tyson Foerster all spent time playing on their off-wings at varying points last season.
“It makes sense for a team like Philly or San Jose to move, and this is just me reading a situation. It doesn’t mean that they believe the same thing, but it makes sense for me,” added Yannetti. “I think the majority of teams would say in eight picks, you know, 24 to 31 or 24 to 32 you’re losing a tier. So, while we’re giving up that tier potentially, if you’re taking a 40, 45, or 48, you’re making up for losing that tier with a much higher level guy than we’d get at 88.”
Notably, 40, 45, and 48 are all picks the Flyers have or had; the 45th pick was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in Monday's Zegras trade.
It sounds a lot like Yannetti has a deal with the Flyers in mind at some point this week, though it's something Philadelphia would only do if and when a player they covet slides within range of a hypothetical trade with the Kings.
And that can be difficult to assess, given the Flyers themselves pick just two picks earlier at 22.
It's worth adding that there's a marked chance a deal between the Flyers and Kings could come together at some point, given the recent trade history between the two teams.
The Flyers got a 2027 third-round pick from the Kings at the NHL trade deadline on March 7 in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko, 50% salary retention, and a seventh-round pick in this year's draft.
A little less recently, back on June 6, 2023, the Flyers received Helge Grans, Sean Walker, Cal Petersen, and a 2024 second-round pick. Walker, of course, eventually yielded Philadelphia the 22nd overall pick in this year's draft by way of Colorado.
As for what the Flyers might have to trade the Kings for the 24th pick, the Montreal Canadiens acquired the 21st pick from L.A. in last year's draft in exchange for Nos. 26, 57, and 198. A value equivalent for the Flyers might be this year's 31st and 48th picks.
Who the Flyers might trade up for, and at what position, remains unclear. But what is clear is that the Kings are unusually publicly congenial about the possibility.
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