Everyone has it, wants to have it, or is talking about it. Of course, we’re talking about a first-line center.
A first-line center is one of a team’s most important players. It’s extremely rare for a team to compete for a Stanley Cup without a pivot that they can rely on in all situations. Sure, depth is good, but having someone who can be the guy goes a long, long way.
The Philadelphia Flyers are one of several NHL teams that don’t really have that guy. Claude Giroux is gone, and he gave way to Sean Couturier as the first-line center in the latter stages of his Flyers career. Couturier is now past his prime, leaving a big hole down the middle in Philadelphia.
Let’s take a look at the three ways NHL teams can acquire a top center — draft, trade, or free agency — and if the Flyers can follow those paths.
Option 1: Draft
Of the 32 first-line centers across the league, over two-thirds were drafted by their current team — 22 to be exact.
Seven were first overall picks with three more coming in at No. 2 overall. That’s nearly one-third of the top-line centers in the league.
