Always in motion, the future is.
It is no secret at this point that the Philadelphia Flyers don't need more wingers, at least on their current NHL roster.
Their prospect pool, however, might be a different story, so long as the value adds up for the Flyers when they go to pick at 21st overall later this month.
In the NHL, because players are so young when they get drafted, it can take non-blue chip prospects anywhere from two to five years to start contributing.
Well, five years from now, Owen Tippett will be 32, Travis Konecny will be 34, and Tyson Foerster will be 29. Their replacement(s), if drafted by the Flyers, will be 23.
We all know that the Flyers badly need a center and a left-shot defenseman, but they have no incentive to force a pick, especially at center, with middle-six potential players like Jett Luchanko, Jack Nesbitt, Matthew Gard, Heikki Ruohonen, and Jack Berglund already in the fold.
Instead, the Flyers must remain patient, even after a successful season, and go for the best value, whether that's at winger, goalie, or otherwise.
Some players worth keeping an eye on include power forwards Maddox Dagenais and Oscar Hemming, the dynamic Nikita Klepov, and CHL sniper Liam Ruck (and twin brother Markus Ruck).
Dagenais, a center/winger hybrid, looks set to become a winger full-time at the next level, and his combo of size (6-foot-4), speed, and skill will make him an alluring choice for NHL teams.
The Flyers, especially, have a penchant for targeting these types of players, and Dagenais could one day be a logical successor to Tippett.
The Ruck brothers fit the vibe the Flyers are building in Philadelphia, and while Liam is probably one or two rounds better than Markus, they may go closer than that.
Those two, paired with a Porter Martone or Matvei Michkov, could be extremely interesting as a trio if their development goes well.
As for Klepov, he's extremely skilled, but his skating is closer to average. The Michigan State commit will come from the same collegiate pipeline as Flyers prospects Martone and Shane Vansaghi, and that will boost his case.
The OHL scoring champion is a workhorse, too, and could be a prolific add to the Flyers when paired with more or similarly-skilled players.
I also wanted to touch on Hemming, a beastly Finn who played in the NCAA for Boston College this past season, scoring a goal, seven assists, and eight points in 19 games.
The 18-year-old is extremely quick going north-south for the 6-foot-4 size at his age, and he uses that size as a weapon at both ends of the ice.
The agility needs work, and some teams will frown upon that more than others, but the Flyers have shown a willingness to tackle such weaknesses in the past.
A No. 1 center is clearly a priority, but these kinds of talents at Pick 21? The Flyers can't get greedy like they did with the Luchanko and Nesbitt picks the last two drafts.