The Philadelphia Flyers completed their first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, and, well, it was a shocker, to say the least. They made the most surprising pick of the night by taking Jett Luchanko with their 13th overall selection, who was a second-round graded player by many. With arguably the best defensive prospect that we have seen in the last few seasons, Zeev Buium, miraculously on the board but the Flyers choosing to trade back a spot, this was definitely a questionable decision.
Really, it’s not about the player. Luchanko could theoretically be a fantastic roster fit for the Orange and Black in the future. Plus, there are actually some things to like about him, but that’s a conversation for another day. Simply, this is not the type of pick that you’d expect out of the Flyers in their “New Era of Orange,” but rather, one you’d expect from the failed eras of the past. It wasn’t just the pick, either—this was a long time coming. The red flags were waving long before June 28.
The Flyers Reached Despite Being in a Rebuild
In theory, passing on one of the most intelligent players in the 2024 class who put up the most incredible offensive totals for a draft-year defenseman that we have ever seen in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for a player who doesn’t have any star traits other than his skating—a trait in which Buium excels in, too—probably isn’t a good idea. Again, it’s not that Luchanko can’t succeed—he is still a teenager and could reach some untapped potential. At the end of the day, though, you are drafting based on what you see out of these young men in the present and what they project to be in the future.
Just to paint a picture, HockeyProspecting has Buium at an 81 percent chance to be an NHLer with a 73 percent chance to become a star. Luchanko, on the other hand, was projected at a 56 percent chance to be an NHL player and a 21 percent chance to be a star. Things can obviously change considering Luchanko is one of the younger players in the class, but this is not the way you’d like to see a team in a rebuild operate. Needing the best player at every turn, the Flyers reached quite a bit. Luchanko can be a great second-line center if he develops well, but the risk is passing on an elite first-pairing defenseman.
Really, this pick from general manager (GM) Danny Briere reminds you a bit of how someone like GM Ron Hextall would operate. First-round reaches (and misses) were sort of his motto during…
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