Let’s get it back to the Philadelphia Flyers, who have lost five in a row by a total aggregate score of 22 goals to eight. They haven’t been remotely competitive since going to Manitoba and beating the Jets in a shootout, and have fallen into a last-place tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metro. That’s great news because the Flyers are moving up the Tankathon board and now have a 6.5% to claim the #1 overall draft pick:

Only six points separate Nashville and Anaheim, which amounts to a 3.5% swing on the odds chart.

We ran the simulator 15 times and got the following results:

  • 7th pick
  • 7th pick
  • 7th pick
  • 8th pick
  • 7th pick
  • 2nd pick
  • 7th pick
  • 7th pick
  • 8th pick
  • 7th pick
  • 7th pick
  • 8th pick
  • 9th pick
  • 8th pick
  • 8th pick

“So you’re telling me there’s a chance,” as Lloyd Christmas once said. This is a very good center draft and we all know how badly the Flyers need centers. On most big boards, you’ll find five centers ranked inside the top eight. That’s James Hagens, Michael Misa, Roger McQueen, Caleb Desnoyers, and Jake O’Brien. If the Flyers screw around and win too many games, putting them on the cusp of the top 10, then it gets a little dicey. But the good news is that the upcoming schedule includes Tampa, Carolina, Washington, Dallas, and Toronto, so there are a lot of Ls on there.

Keep in mind that the Flyers also own Edmonton and Colorado’s first round picks. Edmonton is top-12 protected and Colorado is top-10 protected. Both teams are playing well, as expected, and sitting outside of the top 20 entirely. If the NHL draft was held today, and we use the simulator for guidance, the Flyers would draft 7th, 22nd, and 25th. That’s very good. The Flyers are moving in the right direction. It’s time to #BagItToBroad