Flyers Will Pick No. 7 in This Year’s NHL Draft

The Philadelphia Flyers did not get lucky on Saturday night, they will not pick first overall when the NHL Draft is held in June. Instead, they will hold the seventh overall selection.

Philadelphia held just a 6.5 percent chance to win the lottery.

“My way of looking at things the last few days was if we stayed at seven, that was a positive,” Flyers general Manager Ron Hextall explained. “So, we’re at seven … we’ll take seven and get a good player there.”

But could the Flyers move up in the draft?

Let's just say they have the ammo to move up and it wouldn't be a surprise.  One guy they could target if they moved up would be Boston College defender Noah Hanafin. He's a very skilled defender, who while not a franchise centerman, is considered a top level defender.

The Flyers have done a good job of stockpiling draft picks and have the ability to use them to move up in the draft - so don't be surprised if Hextall attempted to make a move on draft night.

The Edmonton Oilers, who finished the season with the league's third-worst overall record, won the draft lottery, the Buffalo Sabres who had the league's worst record will pick second overall.

The Oilers will likely have their eyes on Erie Otters center Connor McDavid, who is considered the best NHL draft prospect since Sidney Crosby.

And while the top two players in this years draft are centers, the Flyers most likely look to add some scoring when they pick at No. 7 with a plethora of young defenders already in the system.

“At seven, there are a lot of forwards this year,” Hextall said. “There’s a good chance we will take a forward … if there’s a defenseman on the board and a forward and we have them really close, we would probably lean towards the forward. "

The draft lottery went as follows:

1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Buffalo Sabres
3. Arizona Coyotes
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
5. Carolina Hurricanes
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Philadelphia Flyers
8. Columbus Blue Jackets
9. San Jose Sharks
10. Colorado Avalanche
11. Florida Panthers
12. Dallas Stars
13. Los Angeles Kings
14. Boston Bruins