The Philadelphia Flyers may not possess the high draft pick needed to help them evolve from a playoff hopeful to a Stanley Cup contender, but they do have a path to trading for one.
After a wildly disappointing season, for their standards, in 2025-26, the Winnipeg Jets own the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and given the amount of stars they have in their prime years, they may feel obligated to turn such a high pick into an immediate contributor instead of a prospect.
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According to NHL insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, that’s exactly what they could do, particularly at the forward position.
That apparently entails a No. 2 center and a top-six winger.
The Flyers are in no position to offer any kind of center, but they do have a plethora of wingers to offer to the Jets, as well as draft capital, which can be flipped for that center after taking a winger from Philadelphia.
Players like Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett, whose 10-team no-trade list kicks in on July 1, make the most sense, though the Flyers may consider Tippett, a former No. 10 pick himself, more valuable than the eighth pick at this time.
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In any case, though, the Flyers have more wingers than spots to give, and one or more will eventually have to find a home elsewhere in the NHL.
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Provided the Flyers can trade a winger, another roster player, and the 21st overall pick for the eighth overall pick, it would mean a great deal to the rebuild.
The Flyers, of course, need a top-tier center prospect, and with the No. 8 pick, could find themselves in a position to choose between the likes of Tynan Lawrence and Viggo Bjorck.
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On defense, 6-foot-4 lefty Malte Gustafsson is an option that can’t be ignored, too.
The Jets trading their first-round pick at all will likely depend on how desperate they are, knowing their core is ageing but feeling some pressure to start looking towards the future.
A good number of teams in the NHL, such as the Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers themselves, the Minnesota Wild, the Chicago Blackhawks, and more are looking for top-six centers, and the Jets throwing out a top-10 pick for a few second-liners is likely the only way they can definitively outbid the competition.
If the Flyers are truly committed to stockpiling young, high-skill assets, they will do what they can to make this deal happen by leveraging their cupboard of wingers and draft picks.
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