Will the Broad Street Bullies be back? Flyers go big at the NHL draft
By the time the Philadelphia Flyers are legitimate contenders again a few years down the road, they could have a lineup that makes the 1970s Broad Street Bullies proud.
Five of their eight selections in
the NHL draft
stand 6-foot-3 or taller, including first-rounders Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt. They overlooked smaller talent to get a hulking winger in Martone at No. 6 and traded up for Nesbitt, a 6-5 center, with the 12th pick.
'It's a nice bonus that they're both tall and will bring us size, as well,' general manager Daniel Briere said. 'It just kind of worked out that way. It wasn't a plan that we had in mind going into the draft that we wanted to get bigger. It just happened that way.'
Philadelphia's second-rounders were 6-6, 232-pound defenseman Carter Amico and a trio of nice-sized forwards: Jack Murtagh, Shane Vansaghi and Matthew Gard. Murtagh described himself as 'a high-end workhorse.'
Their second fifth-round pick, Luke Vlooswyk, called himself 'a big defensive, defenseman.' He said Gard, a teammate with the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels, is 'a big kid like me.'
Bulking up the prospect pool makes sense for the Flyers, who have a lot of smaller talent in the system, from
budding star Matvei Michkov
already on the roster to 2024 first-rounder Jett Luchanko, who played four games for them last season. They also just
traded for 6-foot center Trevor Zegras
and could use some size in their not-too-distant future.
Bloodlines
After William Horcoff, whose dad Shawn spent 15 seasons in the NHL, went 24th to Pittsburgh in the first round, Day 2 of the draft was full of the sons and nephews of retired players hearing their names called.
It started with Seattle trading up to get Blake Fiddler, son of Vernon, early in the second round. Eric Nilson, son of Marcus, went a handful of picks later to Anaheim.
There were more familiar names picked in the third round: Artyom Gonchar, nephew of 2009 Stanley Cup champion Sergei Gonchar, to the New York Rangers, and Blake Vanek, son of Thomas, to Ottawa.
Italian history
After Simon Wang became the
highest-ranked China-born NHL draft pick
when San Jose chose him at No. 33, Matous Jan Kucharcik made some Italian hockey history.
Taken by Buffalo 103rd, Kucharcik is a Czech national but became the fourth player born in Italy to be selected.
___
AP NHL:
https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Reports: Matthew Knies signs six-year extension with Maple Leafs worth US$46.5M
TORONTO - Matthew Knies is staying in Toronto. Knies has signed a six-year extension worth US$46.5 million with the Maple Leafs, according to several media reports. The left-winger had 29 goals and 29 assists in 78 regular-season games for Toronto in the 2024-25 campaign. He added five goals and two assists in 13 playoff games. Knies has 44 goals and 50 assists over 161 games over three seasons with the Maple Leafs. Toronto drafted Knies in the second round, 57th overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2025.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Signing Brad Marchand would be another summer W for Maple Leafs' Brad Treliving
Brad Treliving probably wouldn't mind hitting repeat. As the Maple Leafs general manager heads into free agency for the third time in Toronto since he was hired in May 2023, he must look back fondly at his work a year ago and wonder if he can have similar success this week and into the summer. No NHL GM gets every free-agent signing right every year, but when Treliving acquired the rights to defenceman Chris Tanev and signed him to a six-year pact and added goalie Anthony Stolarz on a two-year deal, he gave incoming coach Craig Berube a couple of integral pieces who couldn't have had a greater impact on the Leafs. Tanev set a poised tone for the defence corps, emerging as one the Leafs' most important players, and Stolarz had his best season in the National Hockey League despite missing time because of a knee issue before a concussion knocked him out of the second round of the playoffs against the Florida Panthers. Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson also turned out be a good addition and forwards Steven Lorentz and Max Pacioretty, signed after attending training camp on a professional tryout, each made physical contributions. As we await word on whether the Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights are able to complete a trade involving the rights to star winger Mitch Marner before free agency opens at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Treliving and his staff will be putting finishing touches on the club's desired list of free agents. After John Tavares signed for four years and an average annual value of $4.38 million US on Friday, the Leafs are approximately $21.3 million under the salary cap. Restricted free agent Matthew Knies reportedly has signed a six-year deal worth $7.75 million per season, which would leave approximately $14 million in the Leafs' bank account. We should remind that if the Leafs were to get centre Nicolas Roy from the Golden Knights in a Marner trade, he has an AAV of $3 million. You can imagine the Leafs would have loved to have got their hands on Sam Bennett, whose post-season play has become the standard for what the majority of NHL teams seek for the playoffs. That's not going to happen, as the 29-year-old Bennett recently signed an eight-year deal with the Panthers that carries an AAV of $8 million. There's no doubt that Bennett would have represented the DNA change that Treliving and Berube know the Leafs must undergo to give themselves a greater chance of breaking through in the playoffs. That brings us to you-know-who, the one veteran free agent who could really give the Leafs a jolt in that area: Brad Marchand. Marchand reportedly is firmly on the Leafs' radar, but the Panthers would like to find a way to keep him and there's the possibility that the 37-year-old could be open to a reunion with the Boston Bruins. Other clubs who figure the winger could help put them over the top in the playoffs are bound to factor into the equation as well. If the Leafs can sign Marchand, then go ahead and do it. We keep in mind that with Bennett gone, and even though Marchand's most productive NHL days are behind him (though he did have 51 points in 71 games last season with Boston and Florida), there likely will be a bidding war for the Nova Scotia native. What will Marchand command on a two- or three-year contract? Somewhere in the range of $6 million to $8 million a season? Here's the catch for the Leafs: If they sign Marchand, there's not an automatic guarantee that they would be headed for a Stanley Cup title. Marchand, who had 20 points in 23 playoff games and was a close second to Bennett in Conn Smythe Trophy voting, undoubtedly would increase those chances. You're not replacing Marner's regular-season points, however, and Treliving, whether he gets Marchand, is going to have to shore up the Leafs' forward depth. There is a talented group of free-agent forwards other than Marchand, but none bring a similar blend of getting under the opponent's skin while finding a way to put the puck in the net. If Marchand doesn't work out for the Leafs, would any of Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser or Patrick Kane fit for the club? How about Mikael Granlund, Jonathan Drouin or Pius Suter? The Marchand option for Toronto is a fascinating one. After continuously helping to put a dagger in the Leafs, first with the Bruins and with the Panthers in May, Marchand long ago became a hated member of the opposition. Marchand is booed at Scotiabank Arena, probably with more passion than any other player in the NHL. Put him in the Leafs' blue and white, however, and we bet those boos would turn on a dime. Marchand would be a fan favourite in Toronto. If Marchand becomes the centrepiece of Treliving's offseason additions, the GM will have successfully hit the repeat button. tkoshan@ X: @koshtorontosun Report: Maple Leafs' Matthew Knies has six-year extension at $7.75 million AAV Maple Leafs, Golden Knights discussing trade for Mitch Marner's rights
NBC Sports
4 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Giroux re-signs with Senators; Blue Jackets lock up Fabbro to 4-year, $16.5M contract
Veteran Senators forward Claude Giroux is staying put in Ottawa for one more season, and Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro has a new four-year contract that keeps him in Columbus. Meantime, forward Conor Sheary's tenure in Tampa Bay is ending after being placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose to terminate his contract on Sunday, as teams took stock of their rosters two days before the start of the NHL's free agency period. The Senators announced re-signing the 37-year-old Giroux to a one-year, $2 million contract that features an additional $2.75 million in bonus incentives. Girioux has 18 seasons of NHL experience including his first 15 in Philadelphia, where he served as captain. Last year, he had 15 goals and 35 assists in 81 games to reach 50 points for a 13th career season, and helped guide the Senators to their first playoff appearance in eight years. The Blue Jackets locked up Fabbro to a four-year, $16.5 million contract. Columbus acquired the 27-year-old by claiming him in November after Nashville placed Fabbro on waivers. Fabro finished the season with a career-high 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 62 games with the Blue Jackets, after getting no points in six games with Nashville. 'Dante was a great addition to our team last season and keeping him in Columbus was a priority,' general manager Don Waddell said. The Lighting are parting ways with Sheary. The 10th-year player was limited to playing just five games with the Lightning last season, while spending a majority of last season in the minors because of the team's salary cap constraints. The 33-year-old Sheary had one more year left on his three-year contract, and was due to make $2 million next season. Sheary won Stanley Cups during each of his first two NHL seasons with Pittsburgh in 2016 and '17. He signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent two years ago, and finished with four goals and 15 points in 62 games with the Lightning. He also played for Buffalo and Washington, and has 124 goals and 267 points in 593 games. If unclaimed, Sheary will become an unrestricted free agent. The Seattle Kraken placed forward Joe Veleno on unconditional waivers for the purpose to buy out the final year of his contract, in which he was due to make $2.275 million. Veleno has five seasons of NHL experience and was acquired by Seattle last week in a trade that sent forward Andre Burakovsky to Chicago. The 25-year-old Veleno spent his first four-plus NHL seasons in Detroit, and has 38 goals and 81 points in 306 games. The Anaheim Ducks maintained their depth at goalie by signing Ville Husso to a two-year contract extension. The 30-year-old provides the Ducks insurance behind projected starter Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek, who was acquired in a trade that sent John Gibson to Detroit on Saturday. Husso has a NHL record of 71-46-19 and went 1-1-1 in four appearances with Anaheim last season after being acquired in a trade with Detroit in February. Husso spent the rest of his time with Anaheim in the minors.
