The talent-hungry Philadelphia Flyers are open to just about every possibility heading into the 2025 NHL Draft, and trading up for an even higher draft pick remains on the table.

In his annual pre-draft press conference Tuesday, Flyers GM Danny Briere reiterated his long-standing interest in trading up in the draft, but, ever careful to hold his cards close to his chest, acknowledged the possibility of keeping and using all seven picks he holds in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft.

"It's been pretty quiet on that front. It feels like everybody's trying to move up at the moment," Briere said of trading up in the draft. "We've said from the beginning we'd like to try to move up if it's possible. But, right now, there's just not a lot of options there. Teams are all looking to move up, so, we'll have to be patient, and maybe there's an opportunity that comes where we can create value going the other way also."

Recall that, last year, it was reported the Flyers made a significant offer to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the No. 4 overall pick and were ultimately rebuffed. Briere never confirmed that specifically, but did admit to trying to move up and not making any meaningful progress with that discussion.

Had Briere and the Flyers been successful, it is widely believed that they would've selected either Cayden Lindstrom, who was drafted fourth by Columbus, or Ivan Demidov, who went one pick later to the Montreal Canadiens at No. 5.

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In Tuesday's press conference, Briere also remarked that, in the 2025 class, the players from the No. 2 to No. 8 range are "pretty similar," which would seemingly disincentivize such an aggressive trade to move up, at most, four spots.

That is assuming, at least, that centers like Michael Misa, James Hagens, Anton Frondell, Jake O'Brien, and Caleb Desnoyers are rated somewhat equally on their board.

Briere has already publicly entertained the prospect of selecting Desnoyers, whose older brother, Elliot, has played for the Flyers in the NHL in the past and is currently with their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Others, like O'Brien, have connections to the Flyers in other ways. O'Brien's head coach in the OHL is Brantford Bulldogs bench boss Jay McKee, who was linked to the Flyers' head coaching vacancy before Rick Tocchet was hired and who was teammates with Briere at the NHL level during their playing days.

As things stand, assuming the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 on Tuesday night to win the Stanley Cup, the Flyers will pick sixth, 22nd, 31st, 36th, 40th, 45th, and 48th in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft.

After those picks, Briere and Co. will be back on the clock with the 68th overall pick, the fourth pick in the third round.

It's unclear who the Flyers would trade up for in the 2025 draft and why, but the fact that Briere is considering it means they have or are actively considering certain scenarios where they would feel compelled to do this. 

The Chicago Blackhawks have drawn the line between themselves and their former stars who are still active in the NHL. They traded Patrick Kane away and let Jonathan Toews walk with no interest in retaining him. 

Kane finished out that 2022-23 season with the New York Rangers and has been with the Detroit Red Wings in the two years since. As for Toews, he stepped away from the NHL to focus on his health. 

In the meantime, new young stars like Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Alex Vlasic have started to take over the Blackhawks. A new era is truly underway in Chicago. 

Now, Jonathan Toews is trying to make a comeback, and multiple teams are interested. At the same time, Kane is an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team he wants. What if the two decided to team up by signing at the same place? 

There is more than one organization looking for a depth center and a high-end winger. Kane has some great offensive hockey left in the tank, while Toews is a little more unknown due to his long absence. 

Between the skills that they would (likely) bring to the table, their leadership, and the level of high-leverage experience that they have, plenty of teams would take the risk of signing the duo. Some teams make more sense than others. 

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have been one of the better regular-season teams in the National Hockey League over the last half-decade or so. They have the best goalie in the world behind an outstanding group of skaters at all positions. 

It is the playoffs where the Jets cool off in the worst way. In 2024-25, they needed a miracle just to get past the St. Louis Blues in the first round. In the second round, they were defeated by the Dallas Stars. Exiting that early is not what Presidents Trophy winners have in mind. 

Veterans like Toews and Kane may be just what they need in Winnipeg. They don’t attract many free agents due to Geography, but this could be a nice little cheat code. Toews is from Winnipeg, which gives them an edge when it comes to signing him. 

If Kane wants to tag along with his buddy, this destination makes a ton of sense. Why they’d pick Toews’ hometown team over Kane’s hometown team (Buffalo Sabres) goes without saying. 

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are very similar to the Winnipeg Jets. They are a Canadian Eastern Conference team that loves dropping out of the playoffs early following incredible regular seasons. 

Toronto is going to lose superstar winger Mitch Marner in free agency. This is somewhat of a messy divorce between the two, as they never reached their true potential together. John Tavares, an elder veteran, may also be on his way out, but it isn’t as confirmed as Marner’s situation. Either way, a lot of offensive production will be lost from their lineup. 

This is where you insert the idea of adding Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. They won’t cost as much as they once did, but they will still bring the goods to a new team. Whether it be their clutch ways, leadership, or ability to play at a high level at all times, they are perfect for the Maple Leafs, who may have some legit cap room. 

Toronto still has stars like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies who will be looking to take a step forward despite the upcoming changes. Toews and Kane would be perfect to have around during that transition. 

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks are now coached by Joel Quenneville. After a long time away from the league, he is back looking to help a young team take a huge step. 

Just based on having Quenneville alone, the Ducks make sense for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Their winningest years came with Quenneville at the helm. This player duo would play a big role in Anaheim's growth under their new coach. 

There are a lot of similarities between this Ducks team and the young Blackhawks team that did a lot of winning in the 2010s. From a hockey standpoint, Toews and Kane make a ton of sense in that regard. A responsible center and offensively gifted winger, despite their ages, would fit in nicely in Orange County. 

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