Q&A: Brent Flahr on the Flyers’ draft strategy, the strength of this year’s center class, and the combine
In Part 2 of our conversation with the Flyers' assistant GM, he discussed how he's approaching a decentralized draft and the luxury of having seven of the first 48 picks later this month.
With just over three weeks until the draft, all 32 NHL teams are gathered in Buffalo this week to meet with prospects, conduct other business, and prepare their final draft boards.
In Part 2 of The Inquirer’s two-part interview with Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr, who runs the team’s draft, he discussed the Flyers’ draft strategy, positions of need, and how the event being decentralized this year might change things for teams. Part 1 of the interview focused on the prospects already in the Flyers system.
While the Flyers have an obvious need at center, Flahr said the team is still thinking “best player available” and isn’t married to taking a center at No. 6. He did note that he thinks the center talent at the top of this class is “pretty good.”
Flahr says the draft combine takes on added importance this year as it will be the final time to get prospects face-to-face and really see their personalities. He also believes it will be an environment for many teams to lay the groundwork for potential trades.
Despite the presence of Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin, Flahr would not rule out the Flyers adding another goalie high in the draft if there was “value.”
» READ MORE: Q&A: Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr on prospects Jett Luchanko, Alex Bump, and more
In Part 2 of The Inquirer’s two-part interview with Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr, who runs the team’s draft, he discussed the Flyers’ draft strategy, positions of need, and how the event being decentralized this year might change things for teams. Part 1 of the interview focused on the prospects already in the Flyers system.
Q: With the draft decentralized, is the scouting combine even more important this year?
A: For sure. Obviously, you spend your time with these guys. It’s going to be a similar process. But, yeah, you’re not going to be able to meet up with some of these guys. You can do Zooms and get information, but these guys are going to be even more dialed in, because you may not have access to them in person again. So yeah, it’ll be interesting.
» READ MORE: Q&A: Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr on prospects Jett Luchanko, Alex Bump, and more
Q: The Flyers have 11 draft picks, seven in the top 48. How do you approach that?
A: I don’t know if I’ve ever had access to this many picks early, but in reality, we prepare our draft the same way. We ran it throughout the year a little differently as far as scouting coverage. A lot of times, when you know where your pick range is going to be through the year, you’re focusing on maybe three or four players. But because we had three firsts, four seconds, we have layers of different players that our guys are focused on.
Q: Are you still in the frame of mind to take the best player available?
A: Yeah, for sure, especially at No. 6 in the first round. Maybe if you’ve drafted a certain player at six, the next round you’ll flip a guy based on position or need or something. Maybe. But even then, I’m a little hesitant. You try to prepare your list the way you want it.
Sometimes, there are a lot of players in the same grouping that are close, and guys will argue. We just put them up as a group, and we just have layers for each of our picks and guys you’d be happy with there, and whatnot. That’s kind of the way we go about it.
» READ MORE: Who’ll join the Flyers with the No. 6 pick? Here are 8 options for Danny Brière and Co. in June’s draft.
Q: John Tortorella wasn’t too involved in the draft. Have you had conversations yet with Rick Tocchet about the draft and his involvement?
A: I talked very briefly to him. He’s worried about coaching, but he’ll come and talk to our guys, hopefully, when they’re in town, and give his philosophy of coaching and the type of players that he appreciates.
Tocc, he likes a lot of different types of players, I think, but deep down, he really likes competitive guys. And, obviously, we’re always looking for the biggest, strongest, most skilled, fastest guy out there. There are certain players who kind of fit the mold of what a coach appreciates, and we’ll get a better idea.
Q: There’s been a lot of talk about playoff teams and how they are built to win. How do you draft today for an uncertain future?
A: It’s typically a copycat league. And, you know, size does matter to the playoffs, and it’s not always about height; it’s length. You watch a playoff hockey game, there’s just no space out there for all the top players in the world. You need to find ways to create space for yourself, whether that’s speed or size, to be able to fight through it. Size is important. It’s not the be-all, end-all. You’ve still got to play.
Q: How does the decentralized draft work when you don’t have those face-to-face interactions and want to make trades?
A: More than anything, you’re going to have to get stuff set up beforehand, I think. Even if you have ideas, you’re always able to call but that’s the greatest thing for us about the centralized draft, when you just walk to the next table and throw an idea and the team will tell you to beat it, or, ‘Yeah, that’s great idea’ and you make a trade. That happens all the time. At the same time, this is a little more challenging, and we’ll see how it goes.
Q: How would you rate this draft’s center depth?
A: I think it’s pretty good early, actually. More so than a lot of years.
Q: Is center depth still a priority for the Flyers to add?
A: For sure. There’s some good players right around there at different positions, but at some point, we have a number of picks, and there are centers we have rated in the later first-round picks and even the second round. So obviously, they’re different levels and different upsides or whatever, but there are certain guys we’re going to be looking at for sure.
» READ MORE: Flyers mock draft: Sizing up their three first-round picks and adding help at center
Q: Is there potential for the Flyers to still go for goaltending even though you have Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin in the system?
A: I think so. It’s [about] value. Even when we drafted Bjarnason and Zavragin was still there, we had a high value on him, and we drafted him. Some teams would have said no, but Danny’s like, ‘Well, if you guys like him, just draft him.’ A lot of times, if a guy falls and you give him a value, like I said, we have layers of players and talent levels, and then if a guy fits, and he’s the next best player, and our guys are excited, then we will [take him].
Q: I there anything you want the fans to know about the draft this year and how you see it maybe unfolding?
A: The exciting part is when you have this many picks, it just allows you to do a lot of different things. If we just use them all, just draft picks where they are, we’re going to get a large pool of talent that’ll benefit the Flyers down the road.
We also have some ammo to move up in the draft to maybe get two higher-ranked guys, or even get a legitimate NHL player, if we use it for teams dealing with cap issues or whatever. So we’ve got some flexibility.
With just over three weeks until the draft, all 32 NHL teams are gathered in Buffalo, New York, this week to meet with prospects, conduct other business, and prepare their final draft boards.
In Part 2 of The Inquirer’s two-part interview with Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr, who runs the team’s draft, he discussed the Flyers’ draft strategy, positions of need, and how the event being decentralized this year might change things for teams. Part 1 of the interview focused on the prospects already in the Flyers system.
» READ MORE: Q&A: Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr on prospects Jett Luchanko, Alex Bump, and more
Q: With the draft decentralized, is the scouting combine even more important this year?
A: For sure. Obviously, you spend your time with these guys. It’s going to be a similar process. But, yeah, you’re not going to be able to meet up with some of these guys. You can do Zooms and get information, but these guys are going to be even more dialed in, because you may not have access to them in person again. So yeah, it’ll be interesting.
Q: The Flyers have 11 draft picks, seven in the top 48. How do you approach something like that?
A: I don’t know if I’ve ever had access to this many picks early, but in reality, we prepare our draft the same way. We ran it throughout the year a little differently as far as scouting coverage. A lot of times, when you know where your pick range is going to be through the year, you’re focusing on maybe three or four players. But because we had three firsts, four seconds, we have layers of different players that our guys are focused on, our crossover guys are focused on.
But we’re spread out. So, our guys haven’t been home much this year. It’s been a bit of a grind, as far as that way, but it’s exciting, and it’ll give us a lot of different chances. Whether we use all the picks to take players or trade up or trade for players, there are a lot of different options, and it’s a lot more fun when you have a lot of picks, that’s for sure.
Q: Are you still in the frame of mind of taking the best player available?
A: Yeah, for sure, especially at No. 6 in the first round. Maybe if you’ve drafted a certain player at six, the next round you’ll flip a guy based on position or need or something. Maybe. But even then, I’m a little hesitant. You try to prepare your list the way you want it. Sometimes, there are a lot of players in the same grouping that are close, and guys will argue. We just put them up as a group, and we just have layers for each of our picks and guys you’d be happy with there, and whatnot. That’s kind of the way we go about it.
Q: What is it like going into a draft where there doesn’t seem to be a consensus No. 1, like Macklin Celebrini last year?
A: There’s more consensus this year than the media really knows. But I think after a certain point, though, you’re right. I think the top 10, 11, there are good players at different positions, and I can see it go all over the map.
Then after 10, 11, I think it can go all over the place. There are good players, and there’s a bit of drop-off, but I do think there’s a second-round caliber player that gives us some really good depth in the draft for that type. And then it falls off a little bit. We’re going to prepare. We haven’t had our meetings yet, but we’ve had lots of discussions and whatnot. We’ve got some work to do yet, the scouting combine and all this stuff. We will identify players and the type of players we’re looking for, and obviously we’ll get it tightened up.
Q: For the later-round picks, especially in a draft not considered deep, are you looking at more project guys who will take a couple of years to pan out?
A: Realistically, that’s what you’re getting. But our guys have been together, worked together for a long time, and we’ve had some success in later rounds. But when you get to later rounds, you want to identify a couple of major traits that’ll give the player a chance.
» READ MORE: The Flyers are poised to pick sixth in June’s draft. Here are six center prospects they could target.
Usually, by the late rounds, we have our list, but we’ll get guys that one of our guys really has a feel for, or our guys have a real feel for. You want to get the passion for it. I think sometimes you jump a guy on the list if a guy is really, really passionate about a guy. So those are the guys that typically find a way to be players, too.
Q: John Tortorella wasn’t too involved in the draft. Have you had conversations yet with Rick Tocchet about the draft and his involvement?
A: I talked very briefly to him. He’s worried about coaching, but he’ll come and talk to our guys, hopefully, when they’re in town, and give his philosophy of coaching and the type of players that he appreciates.
Torts was great as far as draft; the only thing he requested was that he didn’t want to coach compete, like, he doesn’t have time. Players, it doesn’t matter how skilled you are; if you’re not competitive, it’s not going to work. I think that goes with any coach now, and Tocc is no different.
Tocc, he likes a lot of different types of players, I think, but deep down, he really likes competitive guys. And, obviously, we’re always looking for the biggest, strongest, most skilled, fastest guy out there. There are certain players who kind of fit the mold of what a coach appreciates, and we’ll get a better idea.
Q: There’s been a lot of talk recently about how playoff teams are built. How do you draft today for an uncertain future?
A: It’s typically a copycat league. And, you know, size does matter to the playoffs, and it’s not always about height; it’s length. You watch a playoff hockey game, there’s just no space out there for all the top players in the world. You need to find ways to create space for yourself, whether that’s speed or size, to be able to fight through it. Size is important. It’s not the be-all, end-all. You’ve still got to play.
Look at Florida. Their back end is really good, but they’ve got Gustav Forsling, and some of these guys are not big guys, but they are extremely smart. You watch, years ago, when Chicago was winning, they still had some big guys. So yeah, it’s certainly a factor. Now, you still need to have the other facets of the puck game, hockey sense, and whatnot, to give yourself a chance.
Q: How does the decentralized draft work when you don’t have those face-to-face interactions and want to make trades?
A: More than anything, you’re going to have to get stuff set up beforehand, I think. Even if you have ideas, you’re always able to call but that’s the greatest thing for us about the centralized draft, when you just walk to the next table and throw an idea and the team will tell you to beat it, or, ‘Yeah, that’s great idea’ and you make a trade. That happens all the time. At the same time, this is a little more challenging, and we’ll see how it goes.
» READ MORE: Flyers mock draft: Sizing up their three first-round picks and adding help at center
Q: Are you talking to more players at the combine because of how many draft picks the Flyers have this year compared to previous years?
A: A little bit. We have maybe a couple more than usual, but it’s more that we kind of target it to pretty much the top two round guys and then a few other guys sprinkled in after.
Certain guys are going to get grilled more than others, players that we have concerns about, or staff members have concerns about, and whatnot. And you get some information still that we need, whether injury-related or off-ice or training methods, whatever, all the background we need. They’re coached pretty good, too. You’ve got to break them down a little bit to show some personality.
Q: Is it more for general manager Danny Brière, then, because he doesn’t get the chance to travel around too much and meet all these players?
A: He enjoys it. He’s gone through the draft process himself as a player. It’s obviously a little different, easier now. But no, it’s good for him. It’s really good to get a visual, you see them on the ice, and you see them sometimes in their suits, and see their personality. Most of them, you just want them to relax and have fun with it, and see their personality a little bit. You realize they’re just kids and so young, yet.
Q: Has anyone ever blown you away with their answers, either on the Flyers or when you were with Minnesota?
A: There have been some good ones over the years. There have been some bad ones who gave terrible interviews, but they became really good players. Guys who totally turn you off, just personality-wise and body language.
I remember Luke Kunin was just a great interview. Like, he’s one of those guys who has you at the edge of your seat personality-wise.
Q: Does that change your perspective on a player?
A: Or vice versa. You’ve got to be careful doing that, though, because you’ve got some players that are quiet church boys and they get on the ice and they’re lunatics. That happens too. But, you know, I think you have to have some basic personality and sometimes social skills, or just self-awareness, a lot of times, which is helpful. And then just showing, like, genuinely that they’re going to put into work to be an NHL player, and that’s, really deep down, all we’re looking for.
» READ MORE: Q&A: New Flyers coach Rick Tocchet talks systems and strategies, his ideas for fixing the power play, and more
Q: Are you looking to see if a player fits the culture, then, in these meetings at the combine?
A: For sure, I think we do. That’s what our guys do. They talk to coaches, but you can’t always believe them because they’ll never say a bad thing about their players. So you find information from trainers or radio guys or wherever, that’s where you get the real dirt, and from other players.
But yeah, whenever you’re building a team, you need good people, and vice versa, it doesn’t matter how good a player is, you bring in a guy and he doesn’t fit socially, or just personality-wise or effort-wise, it’s not going to work. So those are the things you try to steer away from.
Q: How would you rate this draft’s center depth?
A: I think it’s pretty good early, actually. More so than a lot of years.
Q: Is adding center depth still a priority for the Flyers?
A: For sure. There’s some good players right around there at different positions, but at some point, we have a number of picks, and there are centers we have rated in the later first-round picks and even the second round. So obviously, they’re different levels and different upsides or whatever, but there are certain guys we’re going to be looking at for sure.
Q: Is there potential for the Flyers to still go for goaltending even though you have Bjarnason and Zavragin in the system?
A: I think so. It’s [about] value. Even when we drafted Bjarnason and Zavragin was still there, we had a high value on him, and we drafted him. Some teams would have said no, but Danny’s like, ‘Well, if you guys like him, just draft him.’ A lot of times, if a guy falls and you give him a value, like I said, we have layers of players and talent levels, and then if a guy fits, and he’s the next best player, and our guys are excited, then we will [pick him].
» READ MORE: 10 restricted free agents the Flyers could target with an offer sheet
Q: I there anything you want the fans to know about the draft this year and how you see it maybe unfolding?
A: The exciting part is when you have this many picks, it just allows you to do a lot of different things. If we just use them all, just draft picks where they are, we’re going to get a large pool of talent that’ll benefit the Flyers down the road.
We also have some ammo to move up in the draft to maybe get two higher-ranked guys, or even get a legitimate NHL player, if we use it for teams dealing with cap issues or whatever. So we’ve got some flexibility.
Obviously, we’re working the phones already, and we’ll have a lot of different scenarios coming up, but it’s an exciting time for us, and it’s an exciting time when you have those assets because teams all want them. So we’ll see where it goes.