June 29, 2026
Timothy T. Ludwig/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Flyers won't see Maksim Sokolovskii in the NHL for a few years, but that's probably OK for right now.
This past weekend's NHL Draft was always going to be a different one for the Flyers.
They weren't picking within the top half of the first round for the first time in years, and they weren't coming in with multiple firsts and a general influx of selections, like they've been since Danny Brière fully took the reins as general manager in 2023.
The Flyers arrived to Friday night's first round holding the 21st overall pick and just four selections in total, all within a generally underwhelming draft year. From the start, things were looking lean.
But they walked away with big London Knights defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii as their first-round pick at 27th overall, after they traded back with San Jose to gain an additional second- and fourth-rounder, then kept their focus heavily on defense and goaltending the rest of the way for Day 2.
It was a draft for the Flyers that felt mundane, after the previous three were held up as so critical to their rebuild. In turn, that made this weekend easy to feel underwhelmed by.
The Flyers are high on Sokolovskii's upside and expect, at minimum, for the hulking 6'7" skater to be an NHL defenseman. But the 17-year-old is a very raw prospect who probably won't be seen for at least three years.
The same goes for second-round defenseman Brek Liske out of Everett, and even more so for new Czech goaltending prospects Martin Psohlavec and Marek Sklenicka.
This was also a draft devoid of any major trade that carried an immediate impact on the roster, like the move to get Trevor Zegras did just before it last June.
But now that this is a playoff-capable team, there's a growing anxiousness from fans to see something happen, and all as Zach Werenski rumors started popping up. Brière acknowledged it after the first round on Friday night, and said that he does want to make the big move, but that the right time to do it isn't there just yet.
The next day, after the draft was completely done, assistant GM Brent Flahr took his turn to speak to the media, and admitted that this was a thinner class with a board that didn't quite shake out the Flyers' way.
"This draft, I'll be honest with you, there's layers and, especially early on, our layers got cleaned out quickly," Flahr said. "I've never seen it like that before, even as the draft went along. But we were able to move back in the first, and then we were able to move around and get players we were happy with, so it worked out fine."
It's just that the payoff for it won't be seen for years, if there's any.
It's one of the first consequences of falling back to the later stages of the draft order, which can be aggravating to fans now, because the Flyers aren't a Stanley Cup contender just yet, and still need more, especially up front at forward.
There's no Porter Martone this time around, a player fast-tracked to the NHL over before the season's over.
It's a lot of sitting and waiting. And it's underwhelming at this stage, sure, but hardly back-breaking.
A few more thoughts on the Flyers following the draft...
The Flyers left no downtime between the draft and their annual summer development camp.
Dev camp began Monday morning at the Flyers training center in Voorhees, and the prospects will be on the ice for drills later in the afternoon.
Sokolovskii, Liske, and the rest of the Flyers' 2026 draft class are there. Notably, so are Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey, who are already on the NHL team.
Camp week starts now! #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/UGHLMUP9EM
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 28, 2026
Neither of those three have to be at dev camp now, but it should be taken as a great sign that they want the ice time, which is probably an even better sign of the kind of culture the Flyers are fostering right now.
Brek Liske's name was called by the Flyers at 53rd overall in the second round, and not long after, he had his introductory Zoom call with the media.
The 18-year-old came prepared.
Liske, with a massive grin on his face, sat at his family's cabin in Manitoba, wearing a road white Flyers jersey from when Reebok used to manufacture them a decade ago.
He grew up a fan. His dad, Lonnie, has been one his whole life, and "kinda brainwashed me into it," Liske said, and they weren't alone.
Liske's draft party back at home had about 30 people walking around wearing Flyers jerseys, all from his dad's collection in the closet, he joked.
"So from a young age, I was going to Flyers games, wearing Flyers stuff," Liske continued. "Yeah, just always been a Flyers fan. A lot of Jets fans in Winnipeg, so would like to give it those guys. But yeah, I don't know...just always loved Philly."
And it didn't take long for the Flyers to get a hold of some old pictures of the Liske family:
Brek Liske was born to be a Flyer. 🟠⚫️ pic.twitter.com/Km4Pb9M277
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 27, 2026
"I've never heard him yell so loud," Liske said of his dad's reaction when the Flyers drafted him. "I mean, there was a big cheer, but I could distinctly hear my dad's voice. He's wearing his Flyers jersey very proud right now, so I think he's a little bit more in awe than I am right now."
Liske mentioned he had an interview with the Flyers during the pre-draft process, and said that they already knew about his dad being a diehard fan.
"Yup, you don't even know," Liske replied. "Had an orange Jeep with a Flyers logo as a tire cover and the license plate 'PHILLY.'"
So if you see an orange Jeep in the Flyers Training Center parking lot this week, you know who it belongs to.
Dan Vladar can sign a contract extension this Wednesday, July 1, and he will be signing one. It's one of the worst-kept secrets in the league at this point.
The latest from The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on that front from Sunday:
Still some final touches needed, and it can’t be announced officially until July 1, but Flyers and Dan Vladar closing in on five-year extension which will carry $5.5M AAV.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 28, 2026
Simply put: He's their No. 1 goalie, they need to keep him around, and that's a task they can immediately check off their list so that they can handle other stuff...
Because this free agency period can either end up a major shockwave or quieter than a library.
The Flyers were linked to veteran defenseman John Carlson for a potential short-term free agent deal, but his rights were traded from Anaheim to Carolina on Day 2 of the draft. So, for now, that avenue appears cut off.
Darnell Nurse is still out there with a trade request, and so is Dylan Larkin, but with a very limited no-trade list that is believed to have Philadelphia out of the picture.
A Werenski trade with Columbus seems to be the lead option right now, especially with immediate word that the Flyers are expected to be aggressive in a pursuit of the Norris Trophy winner.
The situation in Chicago following the Bo Byram trade and the overall state of its rebuild might be an earlier one to monitor, too, when it comes to Connor Bedard, who is currently an RFA.
But as far as the Flyers signing anyone as a free agent, Vladimir Tarasenko is a veteran winger who can still produce points and skate on the power play. We looked at him as a potential fit a few weeks ago HERE.
And another possible short-term shot to consider now: Maybe a Claude Giroux reunion, as The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun also reported during the draft that the 38-year-old is going to take a look into free agency.
My sense when it comes to pending UFA Claude Giroux is that he's still weighing all his options right now. Taking a patient approach. Likely headed to the UFA market next week while keeping the door open to Ottawa.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 26, 2026
As an aside: The tendency for the Flyers since Brière and Keith Jones took over the front office has been that usually when they're at their quietest, they're close to something major happening.
So stay tuned.
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