NHL Draft 2025: Flyers' Big Decision Down to 2?

The Flyers recently had an additional meeting with top forward prospect Porter Martone. (Photo: Michael Augello, The Hockey News)

The Philadelphia Flyers are one of a few teams picking at the top of the 2025 NHL Draft that are tough to get a read on, but the big picture is starting to narrow in down to a few prospects.

Meeting up with media in Los Angeles ahead of the first round of the draft Friday night, top winger prospect Porter Martone said he's had last-minute meetings with the Flyers and Boston Bruins, who pick right after Philadelphia at 7.

But Martone isn't the only one.

James Hagens, one of the top center prospects in the 2025 draft, echoed the same, revealing (and confirming reports) that he also met with the Flyers after the NHL scouting combine.

At the time of this writing, there seems to be a lot of variance in the public sphere as to where Martone and Hagens fall in the draft.

Both are widely considered to be top-5 talents, and yet both could make it by the Flyers at No. 6 and end up in places like Boston, Seattle, Anaheim, or even Pittsburgh.

It's possible the recent addition of Trevor Zegras changes the Flyers' minds a little bit, given Martone is 6-foot-3 and Hagens is 5-foot-11. And even then, there's the caveat that Martone is a right winger, which the Flyers already have an overabundance of as is.

It may come off as doing due diligence more than anything, but the Flyers could have always done extra private meetings with players other than Hagens or Martone.

Flyers Have New Trade-Up Possibility in NHL DraftFlyers Have New Trade-Up Possibility in NHL DraftIf 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.

Then again, the Flyers have been scouting them and monitoring their progress since the 2024 IIHF Men's U18 World Championships last May.

Notably, top Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko played for Canada in that tournament, and he was drafted 13th overall by Philadelphia just over a month later.

Hagens was there, too, casually putting up nine goals and 22 points in seven games for the Americans, leading the tournament in scoring and breaking Nikita Kucherov's record for points in a single tournament.

Martone was no slouch either, putting up five goals and 17 points in his seven games for Canada. For comparison, Matvei Michkov, albeit a year younger than Hagens and Martone, had 12 goals - a tournament record for Russia - and 16 points.

The Flyers have surprised us before - as recently as this time last year - but it would be difficult to imagine passing on either Martone or Hagens, let alone both.

Hagens might get preferential treatment as a natural center, but who can say? What can be said is the Flyers are highly likely to land one of the two best offensive talents in the entire 2025 NHL Draft class.

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