The Philadelphia Flyers have been a great story this year, and they are in the second round of the playoffs this spring because of it. Yet, with the Flyers still being a team that is focused on the future, they will certainly be hoping to have success at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. The Flyers have their first-round pick for this year's draft. In his most recent mock draft for The Athletic [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7259219/2026/05/07/nhl-mock-draft-2026-first-round-mckenna-maple-leafs/], Scott Wheeler predicted that the Flyers would end up selecting defenseman Juho Piiparinen with their first-rounder this summer. Piiparinen is a big right-shot defenseman with good upside, so it would make a lot of sense if the Flyers decided to select him with their first-round pick this year. The 6-foot-3 blueliner is known for his steady defensive play, and he could be a nice pickup for the Flyers because of it. Piiparinen played in 29 games this season with Tappara of Finland's Liiga, where he recorded three assists and a plus-6 rating. He also played in 15 games for Tappara's U20 team, where he posted one goal and 13 points. With the Flyers needing help on the right side of their blueline, it would make sense if they took a chance on Piiparinen with their first-round pick. The potential for him to blossom into a top-four defenseman is there, and it is no secret that NHL teams will forever value big right-shot blueliners like him. Thus, it would not be a bad thing at all if the Flyers added him to their system.
