Answering the 4 Biggest Questions About the Philadelphia Flyers' Draft Plans

It's been exactly 31 days since the Philadelphia Flyers' already-shortened season ended sooner than most anticipated as the team failed to qualify for the postseason for just the second time in the last 18 seasons.

And with that disappointing campaign in the rearview mirror, the Orange and Black must now set their sights on restructuring their squad for next season.

As good a place to begin to find optimism for the coming year is with the upcoming 2013 NHL Draft, now just 33 days away.

The Flyers own the 11th overall selection in this year's draft, and with a traditionally unpredictable draft-day team, Philadelphia could go in just about any direction with that pick.

With that, here are the answers to the four biggest questions surrounding the Flyers' draft plans.

Will the Flyers Draft a Forward?

History would certainly indicate the answer to this question is a resounding yes.

Philadelphia has made eight first-round selections in the last 10 drafts and has plucked seven forwards during that time. The only defenseman Philly has claimed with a first-round pick over the last 10 years is Luca Sbisa, who was moved to the Anaheim Ducks in the Chris Pronger trade after just 39 games in a Flyers sweater.

What's more, Philadelphia has had great success in selecting first-round forwards.

Claude Giroux, tabbed with the 22nd overall pick in 2006, is now the team's captain and has produced 290 points in just 333 games with the Flyers.

Sean Couturier, the eighth selection two years ago, may have endured a bit of a sophomore slump this past season, but he has already shown tremendous upside and could quickly become one of the best defensive forwards in the game.

Meanwhile, first-round grabs Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and James van Riemsdyk have been moved to help Philadelphia acquire everyday contributors Couturier, Jake Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and Luke Schenn.

The Flyers just don't have a resounding need though for forwards heading into next season.

Giroux, Couturier, Voracek, Simmonds, Schenn, Matt Read, Scott Hartnell, Max Talbot and Danny Briere are all set to return, while youngsters like Tye McGinn, Jason Akeson and Scott Laughton could be called up to help supplement the forward corps.

So despite what the team's history would indicate, it seems awfully hard to imagine the Flyers will use their upcoming first-round selection on yet another forward.

Will the Flyers Draft a Defenseman?

Yes. Yes. And yes.

At least they should.

While the Flyers don't have much need for forwards next year, they have a desperate need to replenish their defensive unit.

The only skater to have originally been drafted by Philadelphia to play a game on defense this past season was Oliver Lauridsen, who suited up in all of 15 games this past season.

As noted earlier, the only defenseman drafted by the Flyers in the first round over the last 10 years is Sbisa, who's helping Anaheim's blue line these days.

Philly may have some up-and-coming defensemen in Lauridsen, Brandon Manning and Erik Gustafsson, but the Flyers will need bodies to replace the 38-year-old Kimmo Timonen and the oft-injured Nicklas Grossmann and Andrej Meszaros.

There should be plenty of desirable options on defense with the 11th overall selection, including the big, tough, Finnish blue-liner Rasmus Ristolainen and Donovan McNabb's nephew, the fast-rising defender Darnell Nurse.

Philly obviously doesn't have a great track record when it comes to selecting defensemen, but that trend needs to change immediately if the Flyers hope to return as a perennial playoff contender.

Will the Flyers Draft a Goaltender?

It simply wouldn't be Flyers hockey without questions surrounding the team's goaltending.

On paper, Ilya Bryzgalov is the team's starting netminder. 

He has seven years remaining on his massive nine-year, $51 million contract. The problem is that, to date, Bryzgalov hasn't played to the level of those outrageous figures.

Last season, his 2.79 goals-against average was 32nd overall, while his .900 save percentage was 39th among all NHL goaltenders.

Philly acquired some goaltending insurance at the trade deadline, plucking former Calder trophy winner Steve Mason from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In seven appearances with the Flyers, Mason produced a 4-2 mark to go along with a 1.90 goals-against average coupled with a stingy .944 save percentage.

While it seems like a foregone conclusion that Bryzgalov will once again be given every opportunity to be the team's go-to netminder, it wouldn't be at all surprising if Mason challenged for regular crease duty.

Neither is a sure thing though.

Bryzgalov is among the more enigmatic athletes in sports today, and Mason has been altogether average since his stellar rookie campaign.

What makes things even more interesting in the Philadelphia crease is the exceptional play this spring of Anthony Stolarz, the team's second-round selection last year.

A 6'5", 225-pound presence, Stolarz left the University of Nebraska-Omaha this year to join the London Knights, and he helped guide London to its third Robertson Cup championship in franchise history.

It remains to be seen if Stolarz is ready for NHL action just yet, but he's certainly as encouraging a netminding option as the Flyers have had in many years.

As such, don't expect Philadelphia to use any of its early-round picks on goaltenders, but don't be at all surprised if the team uses one of its later selections on one.

In the Flyers' case, they can never have too many goaltenders.

Will the Flyers Trade Their First-Round Pick?

Just as the Flyers have a habit of drafting forwards with their early-round picks, Philadelphia also has a penchant for jettisoning its first-round selections.

Through the last nine drafts, the Orange and Black have moved their first-round selection three times.

In 2004, Philly lost its first-round selection to Edmonton after an in-season trade brought Mike Comrie to the Flyers.

Then, in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010, the Flyers didn't select until the third round each year as a result of trades. In fact, in both instances, Philadelphia was without a first-round selection as a result of the Chris Pronger trade.

The Flyers seemed to have learned their lesson though.

They mortgaged their future in the Pronger deal, and it backfired big time.

The Flyers were actually without a first-round selection in 2011 until Philly coaxed the eighth overall pick from Columbus in exchange for Jeff Carter. The Orange and Black then preserved their first-round pick last year before selecting gritty forward Scott Laughton.

As mentioned earlier, the Flyers pick 11th overall this year, which seems neither high enough to command tremendous value in an exchange for an NHL-ready player, nor low enough for there to be an overwhelming need to move up in the draft.

Expect Shea Weber rumors to surface again this summer as it seems unlikely the Nashville Predators can realistically continue to pay the hulking defenseman through the remaining 13 years of his $110 million pact inked last year.

A first-round pick in this year's draft would certainly have to be included in any package for Weber, but it would take a superstar like that in return for the Flyers to part with their pick.

This year's draft is a fairly deep one, and several defensive options have already been outlined that would help this team both now and in the future.