More trades? How many picks? 5 Flyers things to know for NHL draft 202…

More trades? How many picks? 5 Flyers things to know for NHL draft 2024 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

As he constructs the Flyers’ rebuild, Danny Briere knows the importance of the NHL entry draft.

It’s widely considered the best way to acquire and keep high-end talent. And from 2023 to 2025, the Flyers are slated to make six first-round selections.

“Those are really critical drafts for us when you’re doing a rebuild, especially now in a cap era where it’s really tough to go out and sign free agents,” the Flyers’ general manager said a little over a week ago. “That’s kind of what we hope to be the base for us moving forward.”

Their next two first-rounders are ahead at the 2024 NHL draft in Las Vegas. The first round is Friday (7 p.m. ET/ESPN), while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday (11:30 a.m. ET/NHL Network).

Like last summer, the Flyers could have up to 10 picks. Briere has been involved in the team’s draft operation since 2020, but this marks his second as GM. Brent Flahr, who oversees the club’s amateur scouting efforts, is running his sixth draft with the Flyers as assistant general manager.

“From Day 1 here, one of the things that Dan Hilferty has stressed is we collaborate on everything,” Briere said. “I need help when it comes to the draft and I rely a lot on our scouts. I think we have one of the best scouting teams, led by Brent Flahr. I trust him and his team a lot.”

Let’s look at five things you need to know as the Flyers head into a busy, roster-shaping stretch of their offseason.

Any potential trades?

Briere said the Flyers were open for business last offseason and he showed it, putting an aggressive focus on the future. He traded Ivan Provorov three weeks before the draft, Kevin Hayes a day before the draft, almost traded Travis Sanheim at the same time and bought out Tony DeAngelo’s contract in July.

Are the Flyers still open for business?

“Yes, absolutely. It hasn’t changed for us,” Briere said. “We’re still looking to acquire assets that are going…