Past drafting mistakes continue to plague the Flyers.

Many NHL teams excel at this process, including the Colorado Avalanche and the Carolina Hurricanes. Their management firmly believes that constructing a team through the draft consistently yields optimal results due to salary control and the opportunity to acquire top talent each year.

Conversely, other general managers tend to adopt riskier approaches. As a result, they might trade away their draft picks to secure players who can contribute immediately within a win-now timeframe, or their staff might struggle to evaluate available talent effectively, resulting in poor decisions.

The latter scenario seemed to characterize the Flyers' approach during the Ron Hextall and Chuck Fletcher eras. Recently, the Flyers parted ways with their 2019 first-round, 19th overall draft pick, Jay O'Brien. The 23-year-old center had yet to spend any time with the Phantoms, as he had been at Boston University since 2020.

Almost immediately after his selection, questions began to arise about O'Brien's suitability for the position at which he was drafted. Many believed that he was chosen too high considering his experience and level of competitiveness. Former GM Ron Hextall believed O'Brien was a prospect worth considering, but unfortunately, his performance fell short of the Flyers' expectations.

Newly appointed general manager Danny Briere, I believe, took note of this situation. During his inaugural NHL draft as general manager, he selected the best available player, Matvei Michkov, at 7th overall. Michkov's remarkable offensive skills, impressive skating ability, and astute hockey IQ were sufficient for Briere to make this decision, even as Michkov navigates political challenges arising from his home country's conflict with Ukraine.

The message is clear: first-round draft picks should always be made with a high degree of certainty.