10 centers the scuffling Flyers could target to address their longstanding issues down the middle

After breaking through for their first playoff appearance in five years last spring, the Flyers have sputtered to a 4-10-4 record out of the gate.

The team’s poor start has shone a giant spotlight on just how far the franchise still has to go to be among the sport’s true contenders, especially when it comes to possessing talent at premier positions like center.

So how do the Flyers land a true No. 1 or 2 center, one of the hardest things to acquire when roster building? Well, other than bottoming out for a top-five pick, or splashing the cash in free agency for the rare player that even makes it there, the best way is by trading for a young player who might have the talent and makeup to grow into the role.

» READ MORE: Flyers top 20 prospect rankings: Porter Martone is No. 1, but where do Jett Luchanko and Maksim Sokolovskii land?

With the Flyers unlikely to land a proven superstar like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, or Auston Matthews, or even an established All-Star like Dylan Larkin (the Flyers are not on his 10-team trade list) or Elias Pettersson (that’s not happening as long as Rick Tocchet’s the coach), and the added context of Danny Brière needing to make some sort of change to shake things up, here are 10 realistic center targets the Flyers could pursue to address their longstanding conundrum in the middle.

Age: 29

Contract term: UFA in 2027

Average annual value: $4.75 million

To start, the Flyers should not make a move for Zacha, as he doesn’t fit the team’s age timeline and is probably not worth the assets or money he’s about to command as a player best slotted as a 2C. That said, he is the only guy on this list to play close to a 1C level in the NHL and is the most attainable from a Flyers perspective as a pending unrestricted free agent. A strong, uber-reliable two-way pivot, Zacha is coming off a career-best 30 goals and 65 points, and is expected to cash in with a contract that will pay him upward of $10 million per season. With Zacha’s camp and the Bruins reportedly far apart in contract negotiations, Boston, which has shown interest in Owen Tippett in the past, could elect to trade Zacha before he hits the open market. Instead of trying to acquire Zacha, the Flyers would be better served trying to identify the next Zacha, as Boston landed the former top-10 pick in 2022 for the modest price of Erik Haula.

Age: 22

Contract term: RFA in 2029

AAV: 1.07 million

The Flyers will be very familiar with Stramel’s game, as the 6-foot-3, 212-pounder centered a line with Porter Martone at Michigan State last season. A prototypical power forward who plays a heavy and direct game, Stramel possesses decent hands in tight spaces and can score from distance with his wrist shot. With the Wild thinking Stanley Cup or bust and looking to go all-in to convince Quinn Hughes to stay, Stramel is likely a player they’d part with in a package for a top-six forward. Danila Yurov is another intriguing center this writer has suggested in the past, but the Russian has leveled up this season, and Wild general manager Bill Guerin would likely only move him now for a win-now, top-two center like Larkin. Most scouts see Stramel as a middle-six center in the pros, and given his size and average pace, the Flyers might view him as redundant with similar prospects like Jack Nesbitt and Jack Berglund in the system.

Age: 22

Contract term: UFA in 2033

AAV: $6.6 million

The Blackhawks like Nazar, whom they signed to a hefty seven-year extension in 2025 after just 56 career NHL games. But Chicago’s rebuild seems to be at a crossroads, as the Blackhawks (4-12-1) have made no progress on the ice and might be ripe for a major change. With Chicago wanting to keep Connor Bedard and Anton Frondell at center, could that make Nazar, despite his tools and reasonable contract, the odd man out? That remains to be seen, but the Blackhawks certainly need to surround Bedard with more talent, and adding some proven goal-scoring wingers could be on the organization’s to-do list. Nazar is one of the fastest skaters in the NHL (93rd percentile in max speed per NHL Edge), and thrives in transition and at creating breakaways, including on the penalty kill.

A dual-threat as a scorer and passer, he has tallied 33 goals and 75 points in 136 career games. Chicago would be wise to hold onto a high-upside, play-driving center like Nazar, but teams feeling the kind of heat that the Blackhawks are tend to make panic moves. The Flyers have also been linked with former first-rounder Oliver Moore, but the speedy 21-year-old, who signed a four-year extension in September, projects as more of a high-energy, third-line center or winger.

Age: 19

Contract term: RFA in 2029

AAV: $975K

Many have speculated that the Flyers are hot on the trail of 24-year-old Matty Beniers, but the Kraken, who have started the season well, don’t seem in any rush to move on from their No. 1 center, who doubles as the face of the young franchise. Seattle also recently traded former top-five pick Shane Wright, whom the Flyers never had too much interest in, sources previously told The Inquirer. That brings us to O’Brien, a prospect the Flyers took out to dinner at the 2025 combine and rated highly in that draft cycle. The Flyers ultimately took Martone, but that may have been more about his unique skill set than any shortcomings with O’Brien. Maybe the best passer in the 2025 draft class, O’Brien, who is currently injured, has elite vision, patience, and playmaking skills and projects as a top-six center and power-play ace down the road.

O’Brien’s hockey IQ and creativity would rank near the top of the Flyers’ system, and at 19, he still has plenty of runway to add muscle and grow into his 6-2 frame. The Kraken, who have swung and missed on several stars, are looking for impact NHL scorers, particularly on the wing, and might part with a future piece for immediate help. It’s also worth mentioning that O’Brien, who led the Ontario Hockey League in points per game last season (1.75), played with Jett Luchanko and was coached by Brière’s former teammate Jay McKee in Brantford.

Age: 21

Contract term: RFA in 2028

AAV: $909K

With All-Star Robert Thomas staying put and now the Blues’ captain, and promising early returns from offseason acquisition Mason McTavish — both of whom made this writer’s target list last season — St. Louis suddenly has a formidable 1-2 punch down the middle. Add in the Blues drafting center Tynan Lawrence with their top pick this summer, and it’s fair to question Dvorský’s future with the organization.

The Flyers interviewed the Slovak before he became the 10th overall pick in the 2023 draft, and liked his combination of defensive acumen and offensive skill. A strong puck protector in a man’s frame (6-1, 207), Dvorský is equally adept at scoring and facilitating — he can really shoot the puck — and likes to drive to the net. Dvorský, who had a standout Olympics for fourth-place Slovakia with three goals and three assists, registered 12 goals last year in 71 NHL games and has three in 15 contests to start this season. He also has legit power-play tools which would likely be attractive to the Flyers. Blues GM Alex Steen learned under the bold Doug Armstrong and could look to swap Dvorský for NHL-ready help on the blue line.

» READ MORE: Flyers searching for that collective identity that made them so successful last year: ‘It’s not about me, me, me’

Age: 26

Contract term: UFA in 2027

AAV: $4.78 million

Leo Carlsson wasn’t the only offer sheet target this summer, as New Jersey made a play for Hayton that was ultimately matched by Utah. Since Hayton was offer-sheeted, he is not eligible to be traded and will become a UFA on July 1. Hayton, who was the fifth overall pick in 2018, will probably be the No. 2 center available in free agency, and is likely playing his final season for the Mammoth, who are loaded down the middle with Logan Cooley, Vincent Trocheck, and Nick Schmaltz, not to mention 2025 No. 4 pick Caleb Desnoyers (another Flyers favorite).

Hayton, who has a goal and eight assists this season, is a sturdy two-way centerman who is good in the face-off dot (54.1% over last two-plus seasons), drives play, and gets to the dirty areas. The questions with Hayton are how much he will cost and whether his offensive production — he notched a career-high 20 goals and 46 points in 2024-25 — is in line with what you expect from a top-two center. Hayton’s under-the-hood numbers are certainly intriguing, as this season he ranks first in expected goals for percentage (70.4%), first in high-danger chances for percentage (74.3%), and eighth in Corsi for percentage (59.9) among centers to play 150 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. Over the past three seasons combined, Hayton ranks first in xG% (58.1%), second in high-danger chances for percentage (60.1%), and seventh in Corsi for percentage (56.7%) among centers to play 2,000 minutes. Nothing can happen with Hayton until July 1, but he’s a name to bookmark.

Age: 24

Contract term: UFA in 2029

AAV: $6.25 million

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Byfield has yet to take up the 1C mantle vacated by Anže Kopitar in L.A., and patience internally might be wearing thin. Byfield has been a good player for the Kings — he has three straight 20-goal seasons — but he hasn’t truly exploded yet, not to mention most of his best hockey has come on the wing. The potential package with Byfield is tantalizing. He is a 6-5, 230-pound center who skates like the wind, can transport the puck effortlessly through the neutral zone, wins puck battles down low, plays a responsible two-way game, and has the finesse skill to finish off plays. But consistency has eluded the 24-year-old, who is off to another slow start with six points and a minus-seven rating in 12 games for the underwhelming Kings.

That begs the question: Is he available? The answer is probably yes for the right price, as less than a year after acquiring Artemi Panarin, the Kings might need to pivot to some sort of retool given their aging roster and barren prospect pool. Byfield, if the Kings aren’t sold on him, could accelerate that process and bring back a three- or four-piece haul of NHL roster players, picks, and prospects. Los Angeles would likely want a high-end NHL center or top center prospect back in return, which might make this a tough one for the Flyers to pull off. Players with Byfield’s potential and highlight package don’t become available often, but it seems things could soon come to a head in L.A.

» READ MORE: The Flyers and their fans have craved a star in the mold of the Tkachuk bros. They look to have one in Porter Martone.

Age: 24

Contract term: RFA in 2027

AAV: $1.03 million

Chances are Pinchuk isn’t the answer for the Flyers down the middle. But if they are looking for an inexpensive flier on someone with some tools, Pinchuk, who they were linked with in the spring, would fit the mold. Signed by Nashville this summer after finishing third in the Kontinental Hockey League in goals (31) and sixth in points (66) last season, the Belarusian has quickly found his way on the fringes with the Predators, and according to Elliotte Friedman, could be a change-of-scenery candidate. A former teammate of Flyers goalie Aleksei Kolosov with Dinamo Minsk, the 6-3, 203-pound center is an extremely skilled player who possesses deft hands and scores goals around the front of the net. The former OHLer has one assist in six games this season and likely could be had for a late-round draft pick or a depth roster player.

Age: 20

Contract term: RFA in 2029

AAV: $936K

In a different world, O’Reilly would already be a Flyers prospect, as the Edmonton Oilers drafted the centerman in 2024 after acquiring the 32nd pick from the Flyers (originally from the Claude Giroux trade) on draft day. Since then, O’Reilly has won basically everything, lifting the Memorial Cup in 2025 with London as a supporting piece and again in 2026 with Kitchener as its driving force. Along the way, he won the OHL’s MVP award, as well as the OHL playoffs MVP and Memorial Cup MVP. Traded to Tampa in July of 2025 for wantaway Isaac Howard, O’Reilly turned pro this year and has four points in 10 games for Syracuse of the American Hockey League.

While not an offensive dynamo, O’Reilly is a shutdown centerman who has great attention to detail, can make plays with the puck as a passer, and finds a way to consistently produce in the biggest games (think Anthony Cirelli). The Flyers’ ties with London are well-documented, and with the Lightning in winnow mode and potentially looking to rejig its NHL roster after Nikita Kucherov’s trade request, O’Reilly might be a name to keep an eye on.

Age: 18

Contract term: No NHL contract

AAV: NA

The Sabres’ decision to jump one pick ahead of the Flyers in June to select Morozov at No. 20 didn’t seem like a coincidence, as the center-starved Flyers were probably strongly considering the Russian pivot. One of the youngest players in the draft class, Morozov put together a solid but unspectacular freshman season as the No. 1 center on a bad Miami (Ohio) team, establishing a strong prospect base as a responsible and physical defensive forward, hard forechecker, and net-front presence. FloHockey prospect analyst Chris Peters told The Inquirer via text then that “Morozov has the size and skill combination that suggests he could be a middle-six center with some scoring ability [at the NHL level]. … There were flashes of a player that could have some higher-end production capabilities if everything goes right.” Those flashes have become more frequent early in Year 2, as Morozov, who was a standout in the physical testing at the draft combine, has five goals in eight games for the RedHawks.

So why would Buffalo trade him? The Sabres, who are entering their contention window, are relatively deep down the middle with Tage Thompson, Josh Norris (at least for now), and promising youngsters Noah Östlund, who they just signed to a whopper of an extension, and 2024 lottery pick Konsta Helenius. They also could use some scoring punch on the wing after letting perennial 30-goal scorer Alex Tuch go in the offseason. Would Tippett or Tyson Foerster pique Buffalo’s interest?

Honorable mention (some due to unlikelihood of a fit): Dean Letourneau (BOS), Matt Poitras (BOS), Shane Pinto (OTT), Michael Hage (MON), Conor Geekie (TBL), Cayden Lindstrom (CBJ), Filip Bystedt (SJS), Oliver Moore (CHI), Alex Laferriere (LAK), Marco Rossi (VAN).