Category: Sports News

The Philadelphia Flyers, as expected, had a hectic week meeting with various top prospects at the NHL Scouting Combine. Such is life as a team with three first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.

How those first-round picks are allocated remains to be seen, but the Flyers have made it clear through their actions and words, so far, that they aren't discriminating or setting out to draft a specific player or position.

Management could very well have its choice of a top center, winger, and defenseman at the No. 6 pick, and the Flyers could always use their two later first-round picks to move up and select another prospect they really love.

So, to cover all those bases, the Flyers met with a myriad of different prospects who play different positions and are projected to fall to different places in the 2025 NHL Draft. What do we know so far?

According to Jackie Spiegel of the Inquirer, the Flyers spoke with the following top prospects (in no particular order): Michael Misa, James Hagens, Caleb Desnoyers, Porter Martone, Anton Frondell, Victor Eklund, Logan Hensler, Malcom Spence, Sascha Boumedienne, Shane Vansaghi, Blake Fiddler, Cullen Potter, Brady Martin, Jake O'Brien, Roger McQueen, Henry Brzustewicz, Kashawn Aitcheson, Joshua Ravensbergen, Haoxi 'Simon' Wang, Justin Carbonneau, Vaclav Nestrasil, Carter Bear, William Horcoff, Carter Amico, and Radim Mrtka, among other names.

And, according to further reports from interviews with the aforementioned prospects, we know that Martone, O'Brien, and Martin have had dinner with the Flyers.

Of course, this doesn't mean a whole lot with three weeks to go until the 2025 draft, but it does give us a good idea of the Flyers' intentions at this moment in time.

NHL Draft 2025: New Flyers Trade Opportunity ArisesIf the Philadelphia Flyers are still looking to trade up in the 2025 NHL Draft, they could potentially have more than one trade partner willing to strike a deal.

Martone, although he is a right wing, is the best prospect in this class at his position and has been compared stylistically to Matvei Michkov.

At the scouting combine, Martin compared himself to Sam Bennett and Tom Wilson, which aligns with the philosophy of Rick Tocchet and the 'old school' Flyers teams.

And then there's O'Brien, a player I mocked to the Flyers in an earlier mock draft who is coached by one of Danny Briere's old buddies, Jay McKee. O'Brien is a big, 6-foot-2 center with eyes in the back of his head and a natural playmaking flair to his game.

On the other side of the coin, there is an equal possibility that some of these meetings and dinners are to serve as diversions and distractions from the Flyers' true intentions, which is more likely than not going to be drafting the No. 1 center of their future. Martone isn't a center, and Martin may not be one either at the NHL level. And Martin isn't as naturally skilled as O'Brien and some of the other options at that position.

Notably, the Flyers strayed hard from public consensus a year ago when they drafted Jett Luchanko 13th overall, so fans must still expect the unexpected until more information comes out.

Cam Robinson of EliteProspects did report Saturday that there is a strong belief the Utah Mammoth covets Martin, which has been welcomed news amongst many Flyers fans.

Utah holds the fourth pick, so if Martin goes there, the chance the Flyers land one of the more star power-laden players in this draft class increases greatly.

Only time will tell what the Flyers are thinking heading into the draft, but so far, their scouting combine draft board, so to speak, is looking mighty clean.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have hired former Nashville Predators assistant coach Dan Hinote to join their coaching staff, the team announced on Friday.

Hinote was behind the bench in Nashville from 2020-24, helping the Predators advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three of his four seasons there. He spent the 2024-25 campaign as associate coach with the Colorado Eagles, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Hinote and the Eagles fell to the Abbotsford Canucks in five games of their best-of-five series during the Division Finals.

Hinote is a native of Leesburg, Fla., about 85 miles northwest of Tampa. He began his coaching career with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2010-11 season, spending four seasons behind the bench in Columbus before moving into a professional scouting role with the club.

As a player, Hinote skated in 503 regular season NHL games with the Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues, recording 38 goals and 90 points. He also appeared in 72 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, during which he recorded six goals and 15 points. Hinote won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001.

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The Montreal Canadiens’ farm team, the Laval Rocket, held its post-mortem earlier this week following its elimination in the Eastern Conference final of the Calder Cup by the Charlotte Checkers. While the Rocket was swept in that series, it had a very successful season with Pascal Vincent at the helm, and at least for now, the bench boss is going nowhere.

The winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the coach of the year in the AHL explained to the media that it would take an offer he couldn’t resist to leave the organization of his youth.

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There were plenty of coaching vacancies in the NHL following the end of the regular season, and many wondered if Vincent might have another chance at being a bench boss in the big league. However, the vacancies all filled up one after the other while he was focusing on coaching the Rocket in the postseason.

Speaking to the press, it didn’t look like he felt he missed out on an opportunity. Vince is proud of what he has accomplished with a young Rocket side this season, and he is looking forward to what they’ll be able to achieve in a second season.

The 53-year-old coach has extensive experience behind the bench, both in the AHL, where he served as the head coach of the Manitoba Moose for five seasons, and in the NHL, where he was an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets for five years before returning to the AHL to coach the Moose. He left the Jets’ organization at the end of the 2020-21 season to join the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In Ohio, he served as an assistant coach for two seasons before being appointed the top job at the start of the 2023-24 season, following Mike Babcock's resignation two and a half months after his appointment, despite not having coached a game. Under his leadership, the Jackets maintained a 27-43-12 record, earning 66 points in the standings and a .402 winning percentage.

Vincent has the skills to coach in the NHL, but the way he spoke yesterday, he may wait for a big-league opportunity with the team he cheered for as a kid.

Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

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‘David Krejci-like' center with plenty of upside would give Flyers good decision originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The 2025 NHL draft is a huge one for the Flyers’ rebuild.

Not only does Danny Briere have a lot of high-round picks at his disposal, but he also could be creative in how he uses them.

“There are all kinds of possibilities here,” the Flyers’ general manager said in April. “I think it’s really exciting going into it. It’s powerful to have so many picks like that. I think a lot of teams will be wanting to have discussions with us to make some things happen — teams that don’t have picks or teams that want to tweak things.”

So it’s a busy time for the Flyers leading up to the draft, which will be held June 27-28. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at noon ET.

“There are really good players in this draft,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said last Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Maybe people say it’s not a good draft; I’m not buying it. I think this draft has got lots of good players.”

The Flyers are slotted to make 11 picks, including three first-rounders and four second-rounders. Their first-round selections will come at No. 6 (own pick), No. 22 (Sean Walker trade) and either No. 31 or 32 (Oilers trade).

Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.

Next up:

Jake O’Brien

Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 172
Shoots: Right
Team: Brantford

Scouting report

O’Brien, who doesn’t turn 18 years old until the third week of June, is an intelligent center and a surgeon in the offensive zone. He makes precise reads and executes with high-end skill.

On the 2024-25 Bulldogs that went 44-19-5, O’Brien put up 98 points (32 goals, 66 assists) in 66 regular-season games. He had five games of four or more points and his 41 power play assists led all of Canadian major junior hockey. He added 11 points (three goals, eight assists) over 11 playoff games.

“He’s a really, really, really good, solid player, somebody I see as a second-line center,” Button, a former NHL GM and scout, said. “He might be David Krejci-like. I think people look at Jake, me included, and go, ‘Could he be like Patrice Bergeron because he’s so smart?’ He thinks that way, he thinks that way in the game. But he might be more David Krejci than Patrice Bergeron. Just a really, really solid — in my view — two-way center in the NHL.”

Krejci had a highly successful career with the Bruins. He won a Stanley Cup and finished with 786 points (231 goals, 555 assists) and a plus-166 rating in 1,032 games.

O’Brien will have to round out his overall game, but most prospects do at his age. He can improve his physicality and be stronger in the faceoff circle. However, he has great size and it’s evident that he’s still growing into his body, which makes his ceiling awfully intriguing. He’s the 11th-ranked player in the draft on Button’s list.

“I think one of the biggest advancements in Jake’s game this year, he was always a thinker; I think he really balanced out the thinking with the doing,” Button said. “You can be a smart player and always be in the right spots on the ice, and certainly Jake does that, but you also have to do. You have to balance the physical with the mental. I think that’s where Jake took some real big strides this year. ‘OK, I’ve got to trust myself, I’ve got to make sure that not only am I thinking it, but I’m doing it.'”

EliteProspects.com has O’Brien as the 10th-best player in the draft, while NHL Central Scouting has him as the fourth-rated North American skater.

“I think his game is predicated on really understanding where he needs to be, how he needs to be there,” Button said. “He put up points this year. He has always been a smart player.”

Fit with Flyers

O’Brien could fall right into the Flyers’ range at No. 6 and he certainly has some qualities to address organizational weaknesses.

The Flyers have needed more centers in their system, particularly ones with size and playmaking abilities to eventually complement Matvei Michkov. O’Brien’s prowess on the power play should also be appealing to the Flyers. The club has sported an NHL-worst 13.7 power play percentage over the last four seasons combined.

There might be a few more safer picks than O’Brien at No. 6, but the Flyers have shown they’re willing to take swings on talent. O’Brien’s room for growth is there and his upside would be a nice addition to the team’s prospect pool.

More targets

• Hagens is ‘Matt Duchene type of player’ who could be on Flyers’ radar at No. 6

• Flyers would probably love if Barkov-like prospect is available at No. 6

• ‘Fascinating,’ 6-foot-5 center has tons of intrigue for Flyers at No. 6

• Younger brother of Flyers prospect is ‘complete’ center and option at No. 6

The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t played in close to two months, but a handful of former players are participating in the Stanley Cup Final.  It’s always interesting to see guys move on and have success elsewhere for the sake of their careers. 

Ahead of the trade deadline this season, Chicago sent Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers in a massive deal for both franchises. Jones has been great for them in the playoffs, including game two, where he played a huge role. 

In addition to his role as a shutdown player - it’s impossible to completely contain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl - Jones contributed on offense in a big way. In what turned out to be a 5-4 overtime win, Jones had one goal and one assist. Plus-minus isn't always a wonderful indicator of how a player performed, but Jones was +3 against this lethal Edmonton offense. 

For the game to reach overtime, former Blackhawk forward Corey Perry scored with just over 17 seconds left in regulation to force the fourth period. At 40 years old, Perry has 8 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Another former Hawk worth noting is Gustav Forsling, who put on a masterclass defensively. His name doesn’t appear on the scoresheet, but Florida doesn’t win without his contributions. 

“If you skate that well as a young man, you're put into offensive situations, you become a power play guy," Florida head coach Paul Maurice said. "But he has taken that skill and applied it to the defensive side of the game."

As mentioned before, Edmonton’s superstars rarely get completely shut down. However, Forsling was key in keeping them in check just enough to win the game. Getting his stick in the way on multiple opportunities set up by Edmonton was huge in the win. After a tough Game One, Forsling needed to bounce back in Game 2. Based on the difficulty level of the opponent, he can say he did that. 

All of these former Blackhawks made Game 2 one of the best games you’ll see in the NHL ever. To say that players who once donned the Blackhawks sweater were influential in the outcome would be an understatement. 

Each of the first two games has gone to overtime, and each ended with a legend scoring the winner. Leon Draisaitl and Brad Marchand have the series knotted up at one win apiece.

Game 3 will take place on Monday evening as the series will shift to Sunrise, Florida. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

Another spring, another Toronto heartbreak.

In the wake of the early exits by the Maple Leafs, once again, speculation is rampant about Mitch Marner's future. The 27-year-old winger, who was once thought to be a franchise pillar, will see out the final season of his deal with a $10.9 million cap hit and an absolute no-movement clause.

While he hasn't requested a trade, it's time to begin penning the discussions after nearly a decade of playoff underachievement for the Leafs' core. It would be smart for the Maple Leafs to explore trades because if you're the GM of the Leafs, you don’t want to lose Marner for nothing come July 1st. 

Several teams will be interested in trading for Marner or signing him outright. Potential teams could be the Los Angeles Kings, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Dallas Stars. 

This is where the Los Angeles Kings come in as a fit that could take them to the next level. 

A Natural Fit in L.A.

With new general manager Ken Holland now calling the shots and over $21 million in projected cap room, the Kings are primed to make a franchise-altering move this offseason.

A Marner trade wouldn't be about skill entirely—it would address one of the team's most significant issues head-on: consistent top-line scoring and playmaking aside from Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala.

We saw in the playoffs once again how the Kings were unable to dethrone the Oilers for a fourth straight year, even with home-ice advantage; they still lost in the first round. The same history repeated with the Maple Leafs who once again couldn’t get over the hump of reaching the eastern conference finals. 

Both teams have had early exits in the playoffs over the last 8 years or so, and have played at a lesser version of what was expected of them come playoff time. 

Although the Kings' foundation is solid, particularly on defense and in goal, there's an apparent need for another top-notch playmaker to go along with Fiala's vision and Phillip Danault's two-way play.

The Kings need another right wing to fill their depth chart alongside Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe. Byfield didn’t have the best series against the Oilers, while Kempe had great moments, but it wasn’t enough to win. 

But someone like Marner, who accumulated 102 points last season and plays tough minutes on the power play and penalty kill, aligns with the Kings' identity of speed, structure, and defensive responsibility.

Imagine a Fiala, Danault, and Marner line—or even a power-play combination of Drew Doughty, Marner, Fiala, and Quinton Byfield. It could give L.A.'s struggling offense a boost.

🚨 Is Mitch Marner swapping Maple Leafs blue for LA Kings silver and black?! 👇#lakings#LeafsForever#NHLTradeRumors#mitchmarnerhttps://t.co/NEJCkJ6e2S

— NHL Trade Rumors (@nhltraderumours) May 24, 2025

What Would a Trade Cost?

If the Maple Leafs decide to trade Marner before he becomes a free agent on July 1st, the deal would cost assets, future draft picks, and cap space. 

The Kings could be asked to trade at least one of their players from their young core or rising stars (look at Brandt Clarke or Quinton Byfield), a first-round draft choice, and perhaps a player such as Kevin Fiala or Trevor Moore to balance out salaries. 

But, again, this is all hypothetical because a trade might not be necessary unless the Maple Leafs want to get something in return rather than letting Marner walk. Again, there will be several teams that will have a better and more enticing offer that fits with what the Maple Leafs are looking for. 

Why It Makes Sense—For Both Sides

For the Maple Leafs, trading Marner would provide cap relief and the ability to retool their roster, which is currently top-heavy. For the Kings, it would bring new offense to a core that has now shown up for four straight playoff runs without a series win.

And again, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said a few weeks ago after another early exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs that changes will come in the offseason, and the first significant change could be to find Marner a new home. 

Bottom Line: If Mitch Marner becomes a possibility, the Kings should be highly in the running. He's the kind of elite-level forward who might put them over the top—and bring playoff success to Los Angeles for the first time in history.

Mitch Marner, Bowen Byram, Brad Marchand…

Let’s have some fun looking at a few routes Ken Holland and the Kings can take this offseason.#GoKingsGo | @Hockey_Royaltyhttps://t.co/JqWqkYtsQ1

— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) June 3, 2025