‘Fascinating,' 6-foot-5 center has tons of intrigue for Flyers at No. 6

The 2025 NHL draft is a huge one for the Flyers' rebuild.

Not only does Danny Briere have a lot of high-round picks at his disposal, but he also could be creative in how he uses them.

"There are all kinds of possibilities here," the Flyers' general manager said in April. "I think it's really exciting going into it. It's powerful to have so many picks like that. I think a lot of teams will be wanting to have discussions with us to make some things happen — teams that don't have picks or teams that want to tweak things."

So it's a busy time for the Flyers leading up to the draft, which will be held June 27-28. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at noon ET.

"There are really good players in this draft," TSN director of scouting Craig Button said last Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Maybe people say it's not a good draft; I'm not buying it. I think this draft has got lots of good players."

The Flyers are slotted to make 11 picks, including three first-rounders and four second-rounders. Their first-round selections will come at No. 6 (own pick), No. 22 (Sean Walker trade) and either No. 31 or 32 (Oilers trade).

Before the draft arrives, we're breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.

Next up:

Roger McQueen

Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 197
Shoots: Right
Team: Brandon

Scouting report

How do you not marvel at McQueen's makeup?

"He's very talented and very gifted," Button, a former NHL GM and scout, said. "I don't know where you find 6-foot-5 centermen."

McQueen is rare for his sheer presence and natural mobility down the middle, but he's also a wild card in this class. The 18-year-old is coming off an abbreviated draft year because of a back injury, which limited him to just 17 regular-season games. In that small sample size, McQueen impressed. He had 10 goals, 10 assists, 61 shots and a plus-8 rating. He added a goal in three playoff contests.

"Everybody has a different definition for a wild card," Button said. "For me, Roger is a player that's going to be fascinating. If he plays a full year, I think he could have been in the discussion for first overall, I really do.

"With those types of injuries, you can't train and you have to let time take its due course for healing. But I've watched Roger for a number of years, he's a 6-foot-5 centerman that can skate, handle the puck, shoot the puck and make plays."

On his list, Button has McQueen pegged as the fifth-best player in the draft. There's some Ryan Getzlaf in the Wheat Kings' product. Getzlaf was a 6-foot-4 pivot who put up 1,019 points over 1,157 career NHL games, all with the Ducks, and won a Stanley Cup in 2007.

"That's the type of player I think Roger can be like — big, skilled," Button said. "Ryan wasn't somebody that you would call a rugged player, but Ryan was heavy and good and hard."

Fit with Flyers

As expected, there's going to be some variance on McQueen. He's the eighth-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. Teams may have reservation because of the back injury and lack of viewings.

"This is where the medical reports come into the play, the medical reports are important," Button said. "Whatever surface information I get is he'll be fine; teams are going to have to dig in a lot deeper than that. But if you're satisfied with his medical report and you project him to be a No. 1, big center, I think you're going to get a heck of a player."

Flyers fans may have some reservation, too, when they hear about a big center from Brandon. Nolan Patrick had that description back in 2017 and, for different reasons, didn't pan out in Philadelphia as the No. 2 overall pick.

But that shouldn't really deter the Flyers here. If they're confident McQueen can stay healthy moving forward, there's a lot to like. He's uniquely skilled for his size and plays a premium position.

More targets

• Hagens is 'Matt Duchene type of player' who could be on Flyers' radar at No. 6

• Flyers would probably love if Barkov-like prospect is available at No. 6

• Younger brother of Flyers prospect is 'complete' center and option at No. 6