If the Philadelphia Flyers aspire to truly take the next step in their multi-year rebuild, they must find the No. 1 center of their future and nail their first selection in the 2026 NHL Draft.

That's easier said than done, of course, and the Flyers have had their chances in previous drafts.

In the 2025 NHL Draft, the Flyers opted to draft star winger Porter Martone over critically acclaimed center James Hagens, then traded up to No. 12 to select center Jack Nesbitt ahead of consensus superior options in Carter Bear, Braeden Cootes, and Cole Reschny.

But, the Flyers did little to improve their fortunes for the 2025-26 season aside from adding Trevor Zegras and Dan Vladar, so a pick inside the top-10 should once again be in the cards next year.

The real question is where that pick ends up, and whether they'll end up overachieving and missing out on a top center prospect like they did at the 2024 draft.

With the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers select...

C Tynan Lawrence, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL), 6-foot, 185 pounds, committed to Boston University

Ok, now, for the sake of the exercise, let's be transparent. Tankathon has the Flyers picking eighth next year behind the Buffalo Sabres, but they have the Sabres taking Lawrence, not the Flyers.

With Tage Thompson, Ryan McLeod, Jiri Kulich, and Josh Norris in the fold, I don't think the Sabres should allocate such a high-value asset on a center over a winger. Not when Jack Quinn has battled injuries and Zach Benson has struggled to contribute meaningfully.

One Flyers Prospect Nobody Is Talking About Ahead of 2025-26 Season The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> have quite a few roster spots ready to be filled by up-and-coming prospects next season, but there's one prospect who should be talked about much more.

Top forward prospects Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Ethan Belchetz are all wingers, and top centers Ryan Roobroeck and Viggo Bjorck will go early as well.

For the Flyers, Tynan Lawrence will be the best center prospect remaining and, perhaps, the only suitable option on the board.

The BU commit is heading to New England to develop like Macklin Celebrini, Cole Eiserman, and Jack Eichel have before him, which is the kind of attitude that lends itself well to a successful future with the Flyers.

Lawrence, the captain of the Lumberjacks, stands out with his speed and dynamism, but is already showing chops at both ends of the ice. He's also got some experience playing on the wing, but with some added bulk and play strength, sticking down the middle will be no issue for Lawrence.

The only concern is that the Flyers have developed a penchant for drafting for physical traits; we've seen this with Jett Luchanko, Nesbitt, Jack Berglund, Spencer Gill, and Carter Amico.

It's not a bad thing, but sometimes the average dudes who are really good at hockey end up being really good at hockey, too.

Given the profiles of players like Matvei Michkov and Martone, Lawrence's speed, responsible play, and scoring ability make him the perfect choice for the Flyers just outside the top five.

What comes next depends on the Flyers putting themselves in the position to secure Lawrence, then actually pulling the trigger to get their guy.