The Philadelphia Flyers notoriously have the strangest and most mysterious draft boards, and the trade rumors and hype around the 2025 NHL Draft don't make them any easier to decipher.
But, given the Flyers' recent draft history, we can deduct that it's unlikely for them to go on a size bender for a second year in a row.
Jack Berglund, Spencer Gill, Heikki Ruohonen, Noah Powell, and Austin Moline are all 6-foot-2 or taller, while Jett Luchanko and Ilya Pautov were the only players the Flyers selected in 2024 shorter than 6-foot-2.
With the No. 6 pick, we can safely assume that the Flyers will take the most talented player on their board, be it James Hagens, Jake O'Brien, or Porter Martone.
After that, with the 22nd and 31st picks, it might be open season. But I'll put together my final big board and rankings, and we'll come back to this a little later. Deal?
And, for reference, this big board is organized in the order I would draft these players in if I was the Flyers. Note that these rankings will be sorted by position only, starting with left wing.
Top 10 NHL Draft LWs
1. Lynden Lakovic, Moose Jaw
2. Cullen Potter, Arizona State
3. Malcom Spence, Erie
4. Bill Zonnon, Rouyn-Noranda
5. Jack Murtagh, Boston College
6. Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Lulea
7. Cameron Schmidt, Vancouver
8. William Moore, Michigan
9. Kristian Epperson, Saginaw
10. Daniil Prokhorov, Dynamo
Top 10 NHL Draft Cs
1. Michael Misa, Saginaw
2. James Hagens, Boston College
3. Caleb Desnoyers, Moncton
4. Roger McQueen, Brandon
5. Jake O'Brien, Brantford
6. Anton Frondell, Djurgardens IF
7. Carter Bear, Everett
8. Cole Reschny, Victoria
9. Braden Cootes, Seattle
10. Ivan Ryabkin, Muskegon
Top 10 NHL Draft RWs
1. Porter Martone, Brampton
2. Victor Eklund, Djurgardens IF
3. Brady Martin, Sault Ste. Marie
4. Benjamin Kindel, Calgary
5. Vaclav Nestrasil, Muskegon
6. Justin Carbonneau, Blainville-Boisbriand
7. Alex Zharovsky, Tolpar Ufa
8. L.J. Mooney, USNTDP
9. Shane Vansaghi, Michigan State
10. Ryker Lee, Madison
Top 10 NHL Draft LDs
1. Matthew Schaefer, Erie
2. Jackson Smith, Penn State
3. Kashawn Aitcheson, Barrie
4. Cam Reid, Kitchener
5. Sascha Boumedienne, Boston
6. Kurban Limatov, Dynamo
7. Haoxi "Simon" Wang, Oshawa
8. Mace'o Phillips, USNTDP
9. Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen, Michigan
10. Jacob Rombach, Lincoln
Top 10 NHL Draft RDs
1. Radim Mrtka, Seattle
2. Logan Hensler, Wisconsin
3. Blake Fiddler, Edmonton
4. Henry Brzustewicz, London
5. David Bedkowski, Owen Sound
6. Carter Amico, USNTDP
7. Charlie Trethewey, USNTDP
8. Maddox Labre, Victoriaville
9. Alex Huang, Chicoutimi
10. Quinn Beauchesne, Guelph
Top 10 NHL Draft Goalies
1. Joshua Ravensbergen, Prince George
2. Alexei Medvedev, London
3. Semyon Frolov, Spartak
4. Jack Ivankovic, Brampton
5. Petteri Rimpinen, Kiekko-Espoo
6. Pyotr Andreyanov, Krasnaya
7. Michael Pradel, Tri-City
8. Burke Hood, Vancouver
9. Mans Goos, Farjestad BK
10. Love Harenstram, Skelleftea
These rankings are built on value plays and personal favorites, and also what I believe the Flyers are going to value.
The 6-foot-5 Vaclav Nestrasil, even as a right wing, might be someone the Flyers covet.
That's something that influenced my defense rankings as well, given the Flyers trade links to players like Alexander Romanov and Nicolas Hague. Plus, they don't have many big defensemen in general.
I expect the Flyers to draft at least one goalie, though Joshua Ravensbergen might go too high for their liking. Alexei Medvedev of London would be my top target at the top of Round 2 on Saturday.