Briere on possibly trading first-round draft pick: ‘Absolutely. Everything is on the table.’

VOORHEES, N.J. – He’s already traded away his third-, fourth- and fifth-round draft picks.
So would anybody really be surprised if Flyers general manager Daniel Briere decided to entertain offers for his first-rounder in the upcoming NHL Draft?
Part of that willingness might have to do with the Flyers’ placement in the big event coming up on June 26-27 in Buffalo, N.Y.
Thanks to a strong finish last season, the Flyers are currently scheduled to choose at No. 21 overall. That’s a far cry from recent years where the Flyers were occasionally picking in the top seven.
The other factor: The Flyers are getting closer to serious contention. So they were willing to give up this year’s third-rounder to help to secure Joseph Woll, an upgrade at the backup goaltender position by way of Toronto, on Tuesday. They also secured defenseman Simon Benoit.
Would Briere deal his first pick for a proven star if the right deal came along?
“Yeah, we’re getting closer to that,” Briere conceded at the Flyers Training Center on Tuesday. “I don’t know if we’re quite there yet. But we’re certainly willing to listen to ideas.”
Regardless of the spot on the list, giving up a first-rounder would be a pretty big deal.
Briere didn’t hesitate to answer when asked if such a deal might be possible.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Everything is on the table. It has to make sense. We want to make sure that it helps us for the future. It’s not just for one season. The trade today (with Toronto) will help us for many years to come. It was worth trading a third-round pick for them.”
Briere said he’s not too keen on trading future first-round picks (meaning 2027 or after).
“Because you never know where it could go,” Briere aid. “We’re not a Colorado or Carolina at this point because you know you’re going to be picking late first (round). I don’t think we’re quite there yet.”
The Flyers will only have four picks in this draft and Briere said that’s not the best scenario.
“It’s not ideal, we would like to have 15 picks in every draft,” Briere said. “But it’s not realistic. The fact is, we’ve drafted a lot of players the last few years – we’ve had some extra picks.
“While this year we still have the first and the second. All those draft picks we had in the past, we have to make room for them. Eventually they have to play. There’s a balance, too. Having only four picks, I’m OK with because we’ve drafted so much the last few years. It might not be a bad thing to not have as many this year.”
Scouting services vary on who might be available at No. 21. Names such as 6-foot-7, 240-pound left wing Maksim Solokovskii and center Alexander Command have been tossed around in the media.
Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr runs the draft table and was asked if he sees the possibility of getting another Tyson Foerster (who was taken 23rd overall in 2020) with this year’s 21st pick.
“We have the same process as we did then,” Flahr said. “Any time you’re drafting in the twenties, you’re not getting the perfect player that’s completely polished and finished.
“There are certain trades that we’re going to be looking for in the twenties and some take longer than others. At 21, we have to wait and see what other teams in front of us do.”
Briere said it’s difficult to draft by need and by position when rosters can turn over so quickly.
“You know like right now you might have some needs,” he said. “In four, five years that need might be different. Especially in the first round we try to be careful.”
It’s clear the Flyers could use more help at center. Or even go after a star player at that position. But it’s not easy to secure talent by position in a very balanced league.
“We’ll continue to target centermen (in the draft),” Flahr said. “That’s a position that takes time. You can’t have too many of them, that’s for sure.”
The Flyers have experimented with Trevor Zegras at center. The other three pivotmen – Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates and Sean Couturier – all have years of experience. But none are going to set off fireworks on the scoreboard on a consistent basis.
“The one area we would like is to find a No. 1 center,” Briere said. “But where we’re picking, we’re probably not going to find a No. 1 center. But it’s nice to have all those young players starting to turn pro now and see where they go. I don’t feel like you can have too many centers.”