Flyers slide to No. 6 in NHL Draft Lottery, the maximum possible fall

Flyers Nightmare – Once again, the ping-pong balls weren’t kind to Philadelphia. Despite entering Monday night’s NHL Draft Lottery with the fourth-best odds to land the top pick, the Flyers dropped to the No. 6 slot — the maximum possible fall — as the lottery unfolded live on ESPN in dramatic fashion.

Flyers slide to No. 6 in NHL Draft Lottery, the maximum possible fall

OFFICIAL: The Orange & Black own the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

🔗: https://t.co/nsOcvLowRP | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/Ayag4GoQpe

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 5, 2025

The Philadelphia Flyers NHL Draft Lottery Primer

The New York Islanders and the Utah Hockey Club both leapfrogged them, and just like that, Philly’s worst-case scenario came true.

They were one number away from glory. Literally. A “4” or “6” would have handed them the No. 1 pick. Instead, the ball rolled the Islanders’ way, jumping them from 10th to 1st overall.

Hockey Gods terrorize on Philadelphia yet again.

Flyers NHL Draft Nightmare:

• Islanders (10th odds) won the No. 1 pick.
• Utah (14th odds) won the second draw, jumping 10 spots to the maximum allowed — and landing in Philly’s original No. 4 position.
• Flyers fall two spots, from 4th to 6th.
• San Jose, Chicago, and Nashville round out the top 5 in between.

A Tough Break, But Not a Lost Cause, I guess

The Flyers now hold the 6th pick in a draft class that, while not headlined by a Connor Bedard-level phenom, still offers high-end talent — especially at center, which the Flyers sorely need.

• James Hagens – Dynamic playmaker headed to Boston College.
• Anton Frondell – Swedish pivot with pro-ready smarts.
• Caleb Desnoyers – Younger brother of Flyers prospect Elliot Desnoyers.
• Porter Martone – Big-bodied winger with scoring pop.

There’s also the long-shot dream that Michael Misa somehow slides, though that’s unlikely.

Philly’s Draft Capital Still Strong

Despite the drop, the Flyers still have a loaded draft board:

• Three first-rounders: No. 6, Colorado’s pick (likely 22–25), and Edmonton’s (TBD depending on playoff exit).
• Seven picks in the top 48 overall.

A Little Flyers NHL Draft History

The Flyers have drafted 6th overall three times before:

• 1969: Bob Currier – Never played a game in the NHL.
• 1978: Behn Wilson – Solid NHL career, All-Star in 1981.
• 1991: Peter Forsberg – Ended up a Hall-of-Famer… after being traded for Eric Lindros.

That Forsberg pick might sting a little, depending on how you view franchise-altering trades in hindsight. Up Next

The 2025 NHL Draft takes place:

• Round 1: Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN+)
• Rounds 2–7: Saturday, June 28 at noon (NHL Network, ESPN+)

It will be a decentralized format this year, with teams making selections from home bases while players head to L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater to walk the stage with Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The night was a gut-punch. There’s no sugarcoating it. But with 11 picks in their pocket and a deep draft class ahead, the Flyers still have a shot to make major strides in their rebuild — just not with the top pick they were hoping for.

The ping-pong balls didn’t bounce Philly’s way. Time to make the most of it anyway. I guess.

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