(Photo: John Jones, Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/dee8659e-6a6f-4a5f-9ac8-213fc528f2cc.jpeg] (Photo: John Jones, Imagn Images) The Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] are certainly hoping that young stars Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone will be top 30 NHL players five years from now, but there are some who would push back on that. Fresh off a 26-goal debut campaign that paced all rookies, Michkov, 20, was surprisingly left off Daily Faceoff's projected list [https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/nhl-2030-best-players-mcdavid-hughes-bedard-celebrini] of players who will be amongst the top 30 in the NHL in 2030. The Russian phenom at least earned some recognition as a lousy honorable mention, but Martone was surprisingly left off altogether. In fact, no player picked in the 2025 NHL Draft [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/philadelphia-flyers-leave-nhl-draft-with-2-fatal-flaws] made the cut, including No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa and No. 8 overall pick James Hagens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/why-the-flyers-passed-on-james-hagens-in-the-nhl-draft]. Macklin Celebrini [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/flyers-matvei-michkov-joined-by-2-rivals-on-nhl-all-rookie-team], the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 who finished level with Michkov in scoring this past season with 63 points, placed third on the list of 30 players ahead of Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Connor Bedard, Gavin McKenna, and more. Celebrini will be only 24 years old on Oct. 7, 2030, but that's a bold bet, especially when Michkov doesn't make the cut in comparison. Some other forwards whose placements or inclusions might be questionable include Leo Carlsson, Seth Jarvis, Wyatt Johnston, and Matt Boldy. I'd wager Michkov has a higher offensive ceiling than all of them, and approached 70 points in his rookie year while playing just 16:41 a night, getting benched and healthy scratched, and without speaking hardly any English. Way-Too-Early Flyers Mock Draft 2026: A True No. 1 Center or More of the Same? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/70cb6903-0ef3-4094-bd3c-25c4371f5801.webp] Way-Too-Early Flyers Mock Draft 2026: A True No. 1 Center or More of the Same? If the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> 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. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/way-too-early-flyers-mock-draft-2026-a-true-no-1-center-or-more-of-the-same] Defensively, the 2023 No. 7 overall pick only stands to get better, but how much better is the question. Still, Connor Bedard had a dreadful sophomore season in the NHL, and still struggles defensively, but placed sixth overall on the list, right behind Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes. Even when accounting for age, I couldn't justify leaving David Pastrnak off the list entirely in favor of goalie Filip Gustavsson or players like Carlsson, Moritz Seider, Zeev Buium, and Jake Sanderson, either. So, there's a strong case to be made for Michkov's inclusion here, given he'd be just 25 on opening night in 2030. Similarly, Martone [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/why-flyers-porter-martone-chose-michigan-state-ncaa] would be 23 years old and a few weeks shy of 24 at that time. If Carlsson can have a career-high of 45 points two years into his NHL career and make the list, surely Martone deserves some consideration as well. With a large frame, a leader's personality, and a goal-scorer's mentality, there's no reason to believe that Martone can't become a dominant force five years from now. Time will tell, but the Flyers still haven't quite done enough to earn some overdue recognition from around the league.
