Philadelphia Flyers: Top 2012 Draft Needs, Targeted Prospects and Predictions

The Philadelphia Flyers made some major changes to their team last summer by trading star forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, then addressing their goaltending in a big way by signing free agent Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year, $51 million contract.

For all the changes made to the team's forward group, the Flyers didn't miss a beat offensively this year. They finished tied for second in goals scored per game, and had seven players score 18 or more goals.

Rookie Matt Read scored 47 points while playing big minutes in his first NHL season, Scott Hartnell scored a career high 37 goals and Claude Giroux finished third in the league in scoring.

Defense and goaltending were the major issues for the Flyers this season. Although they made some minor moves at the trade deadline, the Flyers never found a strong enough replacement for Chris Pronger after he was lost for the season due to injury.

Addressing the team's blue line is a top priority in the draft for Philadelphia. Let's look at a complete draft analysis for the Flyers.

Biggest Needs

The area the Flyers must improve on the most is defense. The team needs more depth on the blue line, and a No. 1 defenseman to replace Chris Pronger.

While they probably won't find a suitable replacement for Pronger through the draft, they can certainly add some depth on the blue line since this year's draft class is deep on defense.

Matt Carle and Pavel Kubina are unrestricted free agents on July 1, so if the Flyers don't re-sign those players they will need to add two quality blueliners in the offseason.

General manager Paul Holmgren might look to add a big-name free agent in the summer such as Ryan Suter to address the team's issues on defense, but signing someone like Suter would cost at least $7 million per season over many years. The Flyers already have a number of large contracts on the books for next season.

In addition to the blue line, Philadelphia should also look at adding a top-six forward that can take Jaromir Jagr's spot in the lineup if he leaves the team during the summer as a free agent.

Departing Players

Here are the notable Flyers' unrestricted and restricted free agents this summer, according to Capgeek.

Player	UFA/RFA	2011-12 Salary Cap Hit	Age
Jaromir Jagr	UFA	$3.3 million	40
Jakub Voracek	RFA	$2.5 million	22
Matt Carle	UFA	$3.43 million	27
Pavel Kubina	UFA	$3.85 million	35

I fully expect Voracek to re-sign, especially since he's a good young offensive player and a restricted free agent. The other three could all leave if the team does not want to bring them back, or they demand a salary too high for the Flyers' liking.

Jagr, Carle and Kubina are all replaceable.

Draft Analysis

There are several defenseman worth taking where the Flyers will draft in the first round.

Peterborough Petes defenseman Slater Koekkoek is a big kid who excels on the power play and has solid two-way talent.

Brady Skjei is another defenseman with great size at 6'3," and 200 lbs. The only issue with Skjei is that he's going to play college hockey at Minnesota this fall and won't be NHL-ready for a few years.

Martin Frk of the QMJHL would be a great choice in the first round because of his impressive skating skills and goal-scoring talents. He has the potential to be a top-six right winger at the NHL level very soon.

Best Fit

The best fits for the Flyers are Koekkoek and Frk. Both players will be able to play at the NHL level in a year or so, and will be able to help the team offensively.

If Holmgren is thinking about making a big defensive signing in free agency, then Frk would be a smart choice in the first round.

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