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The Philadelphia Flyers entered Friday with only four draft picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, but general manager Daniel Briere decided to add to his draft class.
Briere traded back six spots in the first round, moving pick #21 to the San Jose Sharks. In exchange, they received picks #27, 62, and 120.
As a result, the Flyers ended Friday night with six draft picks, adding picks in Rounds Two and Four.
With the 27th pick, Philadelphia selected 6 foot 7, 240lb defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii from the London Knights.
Briere acknowledged the trade back was due to dwindling options on their board at pick #21.
“There were a few tiers in front of us that got wiped out (before the Flyers pick),” Briere said. “We felt (Sokolovskii) was a guy we could get if we moved back. There was a little bit of a risk that he could be taken, but we felt it was worth it.”
Sokolovskii is one of the draft’s largest defensemen and plays a physical, mean game. He moves quickly for a player his size, however his overall hockey sense is on the raw side.
“We don’t know what pairing he’ll be (in the NHL), but we hope he can be top-four level.”
Big, Mean With Room To Grow
Sokolovskii is one of the draft’s best shutdown style defensemen and has potential top four utility if he is able to maximize his development. His range in his own end is impressive, with the ability to close rapidly on opposing forwards. He became a rapid riser in the draft as he became more acclimated in the Knights lineup during the season.
“We don’t expect him to be the next big point producer,” Briere said. “We see him as a big physcial force that will be tough to face. There’s a lot of work to be done, but his internal physicalness is something you can’t teach.”
There’s shades of Nikita Zadorov and Jamie Oleksiak, both supersized NHL defensemen who can cut down operating space in the defensive zone.
However, Sokolovskii has shown limited offensive ability so far, as he scored two goals and eight points in 44 games with the OHL club. It’s possible that is something that might evolve over time.
“It’s not a secret that players in their program become pros. The people in their organization know how to grow players into NHLers.”
Briere indicated that he would like to see Sokolovskii to play another season with the London Knights. He’ll attend the University of Maine in 2027-28.
Briere On His Current Defense Corps
While Sokolovskii is a future investment, the Flyers are still looking at what to do with Rasmus Ristolainen. The top pairing defenseman has been the discussion of potential trade talks with a year remaining on his contract.
In addition, they are still on the hunt for a point-man who can help their league worst power-play.”
“We have the same top five that took us to the second round,” Briere said. “We know the situation with Risto, but at this point the top four have been around for some time.
“We have (David) Jiricek and (Oliver) Bonk, but they’re not ready to play 20-22 minutes a night and that’s where Risto can protect them.”
“But if there’s room to improve we’ll look at it.”
Looking Ahead To The Rest of The Draft
As the draft continues tomorrow, Briere has some items on his “to-do” list. He has increased options to move up in Round Two now that the Flyers have two picks in that round.
“We might look at a top end goalie and wouldn’t mind adding more defenseman. Even it’s a winger, we’ll try to jump on it.”
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