So, the Philadelphia Flyers weren’t lucky enough to win the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, nor was any other team involved in the drawings. Because of their late-season collapse, the Flyers missed the playoffs and wound up slotting in close to a top-10 draft selection, earning the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s draft.

Indeed, the Flyers won’t be able to grab another high-flying forward to add more of that elite talent they desperately need, but there’s always next season. General manager Danny Briere already explained how the team’s goal for 2024-25 isn’t necessarily to make the playoffs, even with how close they came this year.

The Flyers were 19-21-6 since Jan. 1 this season, so a regression next season is likely, but that is neither here nor there. Let’s talk about how I think the offseason will go, starting with this Flyers mock draft.

2024 NHL Draft Tank Commanders

No. 1, San Jose Sharks, F Macklin Celebrini, Boston University

Celebrini is, without question, the best prospect available in the 2024 NHL Draft. He’ll be able to change the Sharks’ fortunes on the ice immediately, be it this season coming up or in the future. The future star will be teaming up with top prospects like Will Smith and William Eklund if and when he arrives in San Jose.

No. 2, Chicago Blackhawks, F Ivan Demidov, SKA St. Petersburg

A nice consolation prize, the Blackhawks ‘settle’ for Demidov here. Demidov can do it all in the offensive zone. He is a defenseman’s nightmare because he can beat you with his hands, his shot, and his passing, and you’ll never know which one is coming until it’s too late. Demidov and Connor Bedard would be a really fun tandem to watch for the next decade.

No. 3, Anaheim Ducks, D Artyom Levshunov, Michigan State

The Ducks are already loaded with offensive talent, headlined by young stars like Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, and Trevor Zegras. Instead of opting for another forward here, the Ducks grab the best defenseman in this class to help out franchise cornerstones like Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov. If this group reaches its ceiling, Anaheim will be a scary team to play against for years to come.

No. 4, Columbus Blue Jackets, D Anton Silayev, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod

Best of the worst, plus the Flyers

No. 5, Montreal Canadiens, F Cayden Lindstrom, Medicine Hat Tigers

No. 6, Utah Hockey Club, F Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs

No. 7, Ottawa Senators, D Zayne Parekh, Saginaw Spirit

No. 8, Seattle Kraken, D Sam Dickinson, London Knights

No. 9, Calgary Flames, F Tij Iginla, Kelowna Rockets

No. 10, New Jersey Devils, F Cole Eiserman, Boston University

Bad news for the Flyers; the ‘Eiserplan’, as some have called it, is over. The Devils have long struggled to find adequate linemates for superstar Jack Hughes. Yegor Sharangovich was shipped off to Calgary, and Tyler Toffoli came in return. Now both players are gone, and Ondrej Palat has been nothing short of a disappointment. The Devils add a certified sniper in Eiserman to the dismay of the Flyers.

No. 11, Buffalo Sabres, D Carter Yakemchuk, Calgary Hitmen

No. 12, Philadelphia Flyers, D Zeev Buium, University of Denver

Because of other teams’ draft boards or positional needs, Buium falls to the Flyers here at No. 12. Sure, Buium isn’t a forward, and the Flyers could easily reach for Konsta Helenius at this spot, but Buium is comfortably the best player available on the draft board. Buium just won a national title with Massimo Rizzo, who recently signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers.

Outside of Cam York, the Flyers don’t have any players who are sure things on the left side of their defense. Buium would change that, and he might even have a higher ceiling than York at the NHL level. The 18-year-old has legitimate No. 1 defenseman-upside.

Zeev with the OT winner! 🚨🙌@DU_Hockey moves on to tomorrow's #FrozenFaceoff Championship Game!

📺: @CBSSportsNet #NCHChockey // #GoPios pic.twitter.com/g4fhqhpvxl

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) March 23, 2024

In or just missed the Stanley Cup playoffs

No. 13, Minnesota Wild, F Konsta Helenius, Jukurit

No. 14, San Jose Sharks via Pittsburgh Penguins, F Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Mora IK

No. 15, Detroit Red Wings, F Terik Parascak, Prince George Cougars

No. 16, St. Louis Blues, F Liam Greentree, Windsor Spitfires

No. 17, Washington Capitals, F Sasha Boisvert, University of North Dakota

No. 18, New York Islanders, F Andrew Basha, Medicine Hat Tigers

No. 19, Vegas Golden Knights, F Beckett Sennecke, Oshawa Generals

No. 20, Chicago Blackhawks via Tampa Bay Lightning, F Igor Chernyshov, Dynamo Moskva

No. 21, Los Angeles Kings, F Trevor Connelly, Providence College

No. 22, Nashville Predators, D Aron Kiviharju, HIFK

No. 23, Toronto Maple Leafs, D Adam Jiricek, HC Plzen

The Maple Leafs badly need right-shot defensemen in their system, and fortunately, Jiricek falls down to them due to the knee injury he suffered at the World Junior Championships in December. If not for that, the Maple Leafs are drafting another player and Jiricek gets drafted in the top 15.

This set-up from Adam Jiricek 🔥🔥 #2024NHLDraft

🔗: https://t.co/zmmxy7QkQc

pic.twitter.com/upfgNqsn2N

— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) April 23, 2023

No. 24, Anaheim Ducks via Edmonton Oilers, D Charlie Elick, Brandon Wheat Kings

No. 25, Colorado Avalanche, F Ryder Ritchie, Prince Albert Raiders

No. 26, Ottawa Senators via Boston Bruins, F Michael Hage, Michigan

No. 27, Montreal Canadiens via Winnipeg Jets, D Cole Hutson, Boston University

Two undersized offensive dynamo defensemen might not work at the NHL level, but the Canadiens have to try it. Lane Hutson has already made his NHL debut and recorded his first NHL point for the Habs, and perhaps his younger brother will be doing the same in the future.

No. 28, Carolina Hurricanes, D Henry Mews, Ottawa 67s

No. 29, Calgary Flames via Vancouver Canucks, F Teddy Stiga, Boston College

Flyers turn to Russia once more

No. 30, Philadelphia Flyers via Florida Panthers, F Nikita Artamonov, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod

Some outlets rank Artamonov inside their top 15, and others have him in the 20s and 30s. For the sake of this exercise, we’ll assume the Russian factor works in the Flyers’ favor and drops him down a few pegs. Artamonov is already a regular in the KHL at 18 years old, scoring seven goals and 16 assists in 54 games for Torpedo this season.

Artamonov also plays on the power play, which speaks volumes about his intelligence, character, and skill as a hockey player. Look for him to become a top-six winger for the Flyers one day if he is indeed selected by the Orange and Black.

Nikita Artamonov ends 14-game scoreless drought! It's OK for 18-year-old rookie who scored 20 pts in 47 games. pic.twitter.com/fVtkDdeNgC

— KHL (@khl_eng) February 9, 2024

No. 31, Dallas Stars, D EJ Emery, University of North Dakota

No. 32, New York Rangers, F Jett Luchanko, Guelph Storm