The Flyers have a deadline coming fast, and it could cost them a prospect if they don’t move quickly.
On August 15, a group of NCAA players will see their rights expire if they remain unsigned, and Owen McLaughlin is among them. If Philadelphia does not get something done soon, the left-shot center will become an unrestricted free agent.
McLaughlin was a seventh-round pick in 2021, taken 206th overall after the Flyers watched him finish his college career at Boston University. He wasn’t a blue-chip name when he entered the system, but there was enough there for the Flyers to take a shot.
His path to that point was a little uneven. As a U-18 player, McLaughlin put up 16 goals and 54 points, but a quieter draft year in the USHL and the US National Development Program likely pushed him down the board. Instead of going in the second or third round, he slid all the way to the seventh.
Philadelphia still saw value. McLaughlin headed to the University of North Dakota and recorded 15 points in 37 games as a freshman. After that, he turned into almost a point-per-game player over the next two seasons before transferring to Boston.
His final college season didn’t go as well, and his production dipped. Even so, the Flyers still brought him into the organization by signing him to the Reading Royals, their ECHL affiliate. He responded with three goals and eight points in 13 games after the college season ended, which at least gave the club something encouraging to build on after a rough year.
McLaughlin doesn’t profile as a top-line player, and that part of the evaluation hasn’t changed. But there is some bottom-six potential there. At 6-foot-0 and 174 pounds, he has size without being overwhelming, and that leaves open the possibility that he becomes a useful depth forward.
Elite Prospects lists McLaughlin as a player who will suit up for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms next season, but that only matters if the Flyers get him under contract. Without an AHL-level deal, they could lose him for nothing.
And if he does get out there, another team could easily decide to take a chance. McLaughlin doesn’t look like a star right now, but players do slip through the cracks and find their way into bigger roles elsewhere.
That’s why keeping him in the organization makes sense for Philadelphia. If the Flyers don’t see him as someone worth an entry-level contract, an AHL deal would still be a worthwhile way to keep the door open.
With the Flyers needing help down the middle, a 23-year-old former NCAA player may already be closer to the NHL than some of the other options in the system.
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For Flyers fans, the appeal is easy to understand and the debate is just as easy to picture. Laine still carries the kind of scoring upside that can change the mood around an offense, but his injury history also makes him the sort of player teams have to approach carefully. Philadelphia is one of the clubs weighing whether that upside is worth the risk, and the conversation around him is already starting to feel like one of those front-office calls that can split a fan base before anything is even finalized. [Read more 🡒]